THOMAS  EWING. 

1789-1871. 


MEMORIAL 


THOMAS    EWING, 


OHIO. 


NEW  YORK  : 
THE    CATHOLIC    PUBLICATION    SOCIETY, 

No.  9  WARREN  STREET. 
1873. 


f 


JOHN  Rose  &  Co.,  PRINTERS,  27  ROSE  STREET,  NEW  YORK- 


fTHIS  MEMORIAL,  into  which  are  gathered,  for 
A  preservation,  the  tributes  of  respect  and  love 
offered  to  the  memory  of  a  great  man,  together 
with  testimony  regarding  a  higher  blessing  than 
earthly  honor  and  renown,  is  prepared  with  ten 
der  reverence  and  filial  devotion. 


M18863! 


AN  AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH, 

WRITTEN  IN  1809. 


THE  following  sketch  by  the  late  Thomas  Ew- 
ing  Avill  be  read  with  new  interest  since  the  re 
cent  decease  of  that  great  man. —  Cincinnati  Com 
mercial 

"  My  father  settled  in  what  is  now  Ames  town 
ship,  Athens  County,  early  in  April,  1708.  He 
removed  from  the  mouth  of  Olive  Green  Creek,  on 
the  Muskingum  River,  and  the  nearest  neighbor 
with  whom  he  had  association  was,  in  that  direc 
tion,  distant  about  eighteen  miles.  There  were  a 
few  families  settled,  about  the  same  time,  on  or 
near  the  present  site  of  the  town  of  Athens,  but 
no  road  or  even  pathway  led  to  them  ;  the  dis 
tance  was  about  twelve  miles.  There  was  also  an 
old  pioneer  hunter  encamped  at  the  mouth  of 
Federal  Creek,  distant  about  ten  miles.  This,  as 
far  as  I  know,  comprised  the  population  statistics 
of  what  is  now  Athens  County.  I  do  not  know 


6  AX    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

the  date  of  the  settlement  in  what  was  called 
Xo.  5 — Coolej's  settlement — it  was  early. 

"At  the  time  of  my  father's  removal,  I  was 
with  my  aunt,  Mrs.  Morgan,  near  West  Liberty, 

»/  f 

Virginia,  o-oiiioj  to  school.     I  was  a  few  months  in 

o  /    o          o 

my  ninth  year.  Early  in  the  year  1798,  I  think  in 
May,  my  uncle  brought  me  home.  We  descended 
the  Ohio  River  in  a  flat-boat  to  the  mouth  of 
Little  Hocking,  and  crossed  a  bottom  and  a  pine 
hill  along  a  dim  foot-path,  some  ten  or  fifteen 
miles,  and  took  quarters  for  the  night  at  Dailey's 
camp.  I  was  tired,  and  slept  well  on  the  bear-skin 
bed  which  the  rough  old  dame  spread  for  me  ;  and 
in  the  morning  my  uncle  engaged  a  son  of  our 
host,  a  boy  of  eighteen,  who  had  seen  my  father's 
cabin,  to  pilot  us. 

l'  I  was  now  at  home,  and  fairly  an  inceptive 
citizen  of  the  future  Athens  County.  The  young 
savage,  our  pilot,  was  much  struck  with  some  of 
the  rude  implements  of  civilization  which  he  saw 
my  brother  using,  especially  the  auger,  and  ex 
pressed  the  opinion  that  with  an  axe  and  an  auger 
a  man  could  make  everything  he  wanted  except  a 
gun  and  bullet-moulds.  My  brother  was  engaged 
in  making  some  bedsteads.  He  had  already  finished 
a  table,  in  the  manufacture  of  which  he  had  used 
also  an  adze  to  smooth  the  plank,  which  he  split  in 


AX     AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL     SKETCH.  i 

good  width  from  straight-grained  trees.  Trans 
portation  was  exceedingly  difficult,  and  our  furni 
ture,  of  the  rudest  kind,  composed  of  articles  of 
the  first  necessity. 


"  AVe  had  wild  fruits  of  several  varieties,  very 
abundant,  and  some  of  them  exceedingly  fine. 
There  Avas  a  sharp  ridge  quite  near  my  father's 
house,  on  which  I  had  selected  four  or  five  service 
or  juneberry  bushes  that  I  could  easily  climb,  and 
kept  an  eye  on  them  till  they  should  get  fully  ripe. 
At  the  proper  time,  I  went  with  one  of  my  sisters 
to  gather  them ;  but  a  bear  had  been  in  advance 
of  me.  The  limbs  of  all  the  bushes  were  brought 
down  to  the  trunk  like  a  folded  umbrella,  and  the 
berries  all  gone ;  there  were  plenty  still  in  the 
Avoods  for  children  and  bears,  but  few  so  choice  or 

easy  of  access  as  these.      AVe  had  a  creat  variety 

j  i 

of  wild  plums,  some  exceedingly  fine — better,  to 
my  taste,  than  the  best  tame  varieties.  I  have 
not  seen  any  of  the  choice  varieties  within  the  last 
thirty  years. 

"AVe  of  course  had  no  mills.  The  nearest  was 
on  AVolf  Creek,  about  fourteen  miles  distant ;  from 
this  we  brought  our  first  summer's  supply  of  bread- 
stuffs.  After  we  gathered  our  first  crop  of  corn, 


8  AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

my  father  instituted  a  hand-mill,  which,  as  a  kind 
of  common  property,  supplied  the  neighborhood, 
after  we  had  neighbors,  for  several  years,  until 
Christopher  Herrold  set  up  a  horse-mill  on  the 
ridge,  and  Henry  Barrows  a  water-mill  near  the 
mouth  of  Federal  Creek. 

"For  the  first  year,  I  was  a  lonely  boy.  My 
brother  George,  eleven  years  older  than  I,  was  too 
much  a  man  to  be  my  companion,  and  my  sisters 
could  not  be  with  me  generally  in  the  woods  and 
among  the  rocks  and  caves  ;  but  a  small  spaniel 
dog,  almost  as  intelligent  as  a  boy,  was  always 
with  me.  I  was  the  reader  of  the  family,  but  we 
had  few  books.  I  remember  but  one  besides 
'  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns '  that  a  child  could 
read — 'The  Vicar  of  Wakefield/  which  was  almost 
committed  to  memory  ;  the  poetry  which  it  con 
tained,  entirely. 

"  Our  first  neighbor  was  Capt.  Benjamin  Brown, 
who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 
He  was  a  man  of  strong  intellect,  without  much 
culture.  He  told  me  many  anecdotes  of  the  war 
which  interested  me,  and,  amono-  other  things  that 

dJ  c> 

I  remember,  gave  an  account  of  Dr.  Jenner's  then 
recent  discovery  of  the  kine-pox  as  a  preventive 
of  the  small-pox  better  than  I  have  ever  yet 
read  in  any  written  treatise,  and  I  remember  it 


AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

better  than  any  account  which  I  have  since  read. 
He  lent  me  a  book — one  number  of  a  periodical 
called  the  'Athenian  Oracle  ' — something  like  our 
modern  '  Notes  and  Queries ' — from  which,  however, 
I  learned  but  little.  I  found,  too,  a  companion  in 
his  son  John,  four  years  my  senior,  still  enjoying 
sound  health  in  his  ripe  old  age. 

"In  1801,  some  one  of  my  father's  family  being 
ill,  Dr.  Baker,  who  lived  at  AYaterford,  eighteen 
miles  distant,  was  called  in.  He  took  notice  of  me 
as  a  reading  boy,  and  told  me  he  had  a  book  he 
would  lend  me  if  I  would  come  for  it.  I  got  leave 
of  my  father  and  went,  the  little  spaniel  being  my 
travelling  companion.  The  book  was  a  transla 
tion  of  Virgil,  the  Bucolics  and  Georgics  torn  out, 
but  the  ^Eneid  perfect.  I  have  not  happened  to 
meet  with  the  translation  since,  and  do  not  know 
whose  it  was.  The  opening  lines,  as  I  remem 
ber  them,  were— 

" '  Arms  and  the  inau  I  sing  who  first  from  Troy 
Came  to  the  Italian  and  Lavinian  shores, 
Exiled  by  fate,  much  tossed  by  land  and  sea, 
By  power  divine  and  cruel  Juno's  rage  ; 
Much,  too,  in  war  he  suffered,  till  he  reared 
A  city,  and  to  Latium  brought  his  gods — 
Hence  sprung  his  Latin  progeny,  the  kings 
Of  Alba,  and  the  walls  of  towering  Rome.' 

"When  I  returned  home  with  my  book,  and  for 


10  AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

some  weeks  after,  my  father  liad  hands  employed 
in  clearing  a  new  field.  On  Sundays,  and  at  leisure 
hours,  I  read  to  them,  and  never  had  a  more  atten 
tive  audience.  At  that  point  in  the  narrative 
where  ^Eneas  discloses  to  Dido  his  purpose  of  leav 
ing  her,  and  tells  her  of  the  vision  of  Mercury 

O  /  v 

bearing  the  mandate  of  Jove,  one  of  the  men 
sprang  to  his  feet,  declared  that  he  did  not  believe 
a  word  of  that — he  had  got  tired  of  her,  and  it 
was  all  a  made-up  story  as  an  excuse -to  be  off; 

and  it  was  a  d d  shame  after  what  she  had  done 

for  him.  So  the  reputation  of  ^Eneas  suffered  by 
that  day's  reading. 

"  Our  next  neighbors  were  Ephraim  Cutler,  Silva- 
nus  Ames,  William  Brown,  a  married  son  of  the 
Captain;  and,  four  or  five  miles  distant,  Xathan 
Woodbury,  George  Wolf,  and  Christopher  Herrold  : 
and  about  the  same  time,  or  a  little  later,  Silas 
Dean,  a  rich  old  bachelor,  Martin  Boyles,  and  John 

and  Samuel  McCune.      Mr.  Cutler  and  my  father 

«/ 

purchased  'Morse's  Geography,'  the  first  edition, 
about  1800,  for  his  oldest  son,  Charles,  and  myself; 
it  in  effect  became  my  book,  as  Charles  never 
used  it,  and  I  studied  it  most  intently.  By  this, 
with  such  explanations  as  my  father  gave  me,  I 
acquired  quite  a  competent  knowledge  of  geogra 
phy,  and  something  of  general  history. 


AX    AUTOBIOGEAPIIICAL    SKETCH.  11 

"  About  this  time,  the  neighbors  in  our  and  the 
surrounding  settlements  met  and  agreed  to  pur 
chase  books  and  to  make  a  common  library.  They 
were  all  poor,  and  subscriptions  small,  but  they 
raised  in  all  about  one  hundred  dollars.  All  my 
accumulated  wealth — ten  coon-skins — went  into  the 
fund,  and  Squire  Sam.  Brown,  of  Sunday  Creek, 
who  was  "'oiiis;  to  Boston,  was  charged  with  the 

o  o  o 

purchase.  After  an  absence  of  many  weeks,  he 
brought  the  books  to  Capt.  Ben.  Brown's  in  a  sack 
on  a  pack-horse.  I  was  present  at  the  untying  of 
the  sack  and  pouring  out  of  the  treasure.  There 
were  about  sixty  volumes,  I  think,  and  well  select 
ed  ;  the  library  of  the  Vatican  was  nothing  to  it, 
and  there  never  was  a  library  better  read.  This, 
with  occasional  additions,  furnished  me  with  read 
ing  while  I  remained  at  home. 

"  We  were  quite  fortunate  in  our  schools.  Moses 
Everett,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  but  an  intemperate 
young  man,  who  had  been  banished  by  his  friends, 
was  our  first  teacher  ;  after  him,  Charles  Cutler,  a 
brother  of  Ephraim,  and  also  a  graduate  of  Yale. 
Thev  Avere  learned  voun^  men,  and  faithful  to  their 

V  t/ 

vocation.  They  boarded  alternate  weeks  with 
their  scholars,  and  made  the  winter  evenings  plea 
sant  and  instructive.  After  Barrows's  mill  was 
built  at  the  mouth  of  Federal  Creek,  I,  being  the 


12  AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

mill-boy,  used  to  take  my  two  horse  loads  of  grain 
in  the  evening,  have  my  grist  ground,  and  take  it 
home  in  the  morning.  There  was  an  eccentric 
person  living  near  the  mill  whose  name  was  Jones 
(we  called  him  doctor) ;  he  was  always  dressed  in 
deerskin,  his  principal  vocation  being  hunting ;  and 
I  always  found  him  in  the  evening,  in  cool  wea 
ther,  lying  with  his  feet  to  the  fire.  He  was  a 
scholar,  banished  no  doubt  for  intemperance ;  he 
had  books,  and,  finding  my  fancy  for  them,  had 
me  read  to  him  while  he  lay  drying  his  feet.  He 
was  fond  of  poetry,  and  did  something  to  correct 
my  pronunciation  and  prosody.  Thus  the  exces 
sive  use  of  alcohol  was  the  indirect  means  of  fur 
nishing  me  with  school-teachers. 

"  My  father  entertained  the  impression  that  I 
would  one  day  be  a  scholar,  though  quite  unable 
to  lend  me  any  pecuniary  aid.  I  grew  up  with  the 
same  impression,  until,  in  my  nineteenth  year,  I  al 
most  abandoned  hope.  On  reflection,  however, 
I  determined  to  make  one  effort  to  earn  the 
means  to  procure  an  education.  Having  got  the 
summer's  work  well  disposed  of,  I  asked  of  my 
father  leave  to  2:0  for  a  few  months  and  try  mv 

t/  «, 

fortune.  He  consented,  and  I  set  out  on  foot  next 
morning,  made  my  way  through  the  woods  to  the 
Ohio  River,  got  on  a  keel-boat  as  a  hand  at  small 


AX    AfTOBIOGIiAPIIICAL    SKETCH.  l-°> 

wages,  and  in  about  a  week  landed  at  Kanawha 
salines.  I  engaged  and  went  to  work  at  once,  and 
in  three  months  satisfied  myself  that  I  could  earn 
money  slowly  but  surely ;  and  on  my  return  home 
in  December,  1800,  I  went  to  Athens,  and  spent 
three  months  there  as  a  student,  by  way  of  testing 
my  capacity.  I  left  the  academy  in  the  spring 
with  a  sufficiently  high  opinion  of  myself,  and  re 
turned  to  Kanawha  to  earn  money  to  complete 
my  education.  This  year  I  was  successful,  paid 
off  some  debts  which  troubled  my  father,  and 
returned  home  and  spent  the  winter  with  the  new 
books  which  had  accumulated  in  the  library, 
which,  with  my  father's  aid,  I  read  to  much  ad 
vantage.  I  went  to  Kanawha  the  third  year,  and. 

<^j  «/ 

after  a  severe  summer's  labor,  I  returned  home 
with  about  six  hundred  dollars  in  money,  but  sick 
and  exhausted.  Instead,  however,  of  sending  for  a 
physician,  I  got  "  Don  Quixote,"  a  recent  purchase, 
from  the  library,  and  laughed  myself  well  in  about 
ten  days.  I  then  went  to  Athens,  entered  as  a 
regular  student,  and  continued  my  studies  there 
till  the  spring  of  1815,  when  I  left,  a  pretty  good 
though  an  irregular  scholar.  During  my  academic 

O  O  t/ 

term,  I  went  to  Uallipolis,  and  taught  school  a 
quarter,  and  studied  French.  I  found  my  funds 
likely  to  fall  short,  and  went  a  fourth  time  to  Ka- 


14  AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

nawha,  where  in  six  weeks  I  earned  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  which  I  thought  would  suffice, 
and  returned  to  my  studies ;  after  two  years'  rest, 
the  severe  labor  in  the  salines  this  time  wrent  hard 
with  me. 

"After  finishing  my  studies  at  Athens,  I  read 
Blackst one's  '  Commentaries '  at  home,  and  in  July, 
1S15,  went  to  Lancaster  to  study  law.  A.  B. 
Walker,  then  a  boy  of  about  fifteen  years,  accom 
panied  me  to  Lancaster  to  bring  back  my  horse, 
and  I  remained  and  studied  law  with  Gen.  Beecher. 
1  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  August,  1816,  after 
fourteen  months'  very  diligent  study — the  first  six 
months  about  sixteen  hours  a  day. 

"I  made  my  first  speech  at  Circleville  the  Xo- 
vember  following.  Gen.  Beecher  first  gave  me  a 
slander  case  to  study  and  prepare.  I  spent  much 
time  with  it,  but  time  wasted,  as  the  cause  was 
continued  the  first  day  of  the  court.  He  then 
gave  me  a  case  of  contract,  chiefly  in  depositions, 
which  I  studied  diligently,  but  that  also  was  con 
tinued.  A  few  minutes  afterward,  a  case  was  called, 
and  Gen.  Beecher  told  me  that  was  ready ;  the  jury 
was  sworn,  witnesses  called,  and  the  cause  went 
on.  In  the  examination  of  one  of  the  witnesses, 
I  thought  I  discovered  an  important  fact  not  no 
ticed  by  either  counsel,  and  I  asked  leave  to  cross- 


AX    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  15 

examine  further.  I  elicited  the  fact,  which  was 
decisive  of  the  case.  This  gave  me  confidence.  I 
argued  the  cause  closely  and  well,  and  was  abun 
dantly  congratulated  by  the  members  of  the  bar 
who  were  present. 

"My  next  attempt  was 'in  Lancaster.  Mr. 
Sherman,  father  of  the  general,  asked  me  to  ar- 
a'ue  a  cause  of  his,  which  o-ave  room  for  some 

o 

discussion.  I  had  short  notice,  but  was  quite  suc 
cessful,  and,  the  cause  being  appealed,  Mr.  Sher 
man  sent  his  client  to  employ  me  with  him.  1 
had  as  yet  got  no  fees,  and  my  funds  were  very 
low.  This  November  I  attended  the  Athens  court. 
I  had  nothing  to  do  there,  but  met  an  old  neigh 
bor,  Elisha  Alderman,  who  wanted  me  to  go  to 
Marietta  to  defend  his  brother,  a  boy,  who  was  to 
be  tried  for  larceny.  It  was  out  of  my  intended 
beat,  but  I  wanted  business  and  fees,  and  agreed 

7  O 

to  go  for  $25,  of  which  I  received  §10  in  hand.  1 
have  had  several  fees  since  of  810,000  and  up 
wards,  but  never  one  of  which  I  felt  the  value,  or 
in  truth  so  valuable  to  me,  as  this.  I  went,  tried 
my  boy,  and  he  was  convicted,  but  the  Court 
granted  me  a  new  trial.  On  my  way  to  Marietta 
at  the  next  term,  I  thought  of  a  ground  of  ex 
cluding  the  evidence,  which  had  escaped  me  on 
the  first  trial.  It  was  not  obvious,  but  sound.  I 


1C  A]ST    AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

took  it,  excluded  the  evidence,  and  acquitted  my 
client.  This  caused  a  sensation.  I  was  employed 
at  once  in  twelve  penitentiary  cases,  under  indict 
ment  at  that  term  for  making  and  passing  coun 
terfeit  money,  horse-stealing,  and  perjury.  As  a 
professional  man,  my  fortune  was  thus  briefly 
made." 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH. 

BY  HOX.  IIEXRY  STAXBERY. 


THE  following  biographical  sketch  was  writ 
ten  some  years  ago  by  my  father's  dear  friend, 
Hon.  Henry  Stanbery,  and  was  republished  in  the 
Cincinnati  Commercial  immediately  after  my 
father's  death.— E.  E.  S. 

The  family  of  Thomas  Ewiag  resided,  prior  to  the 
Revolutionary  war,  near  Greenwich,  Cumberland 
County,  New  Jersey,  where  the  old  family  mansion  is 
still  to  be  seen.  George  Ewing,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  born  there  in  1754.  In  1775,  he 
enlisted  in  the  New  Jersey  Line,  where  he  obtained  the 
rank  of  lieutenant.  He  was  present  at  the  battles  of 
Germantown  and  Brandywine,  and  spent  the  winter  of 
1777  at  the  memorable  camp  of  Valley  Forge.  While  in 
the  army,  he  sold,  on  credit,  the  property  which  had 
descended  to  him,  and,  when  his  bonds  became  due,  was 
paid  in  Continental  money,  then  a  legal  tender,  though 
rapidly  depreciating,  and  which  soon  after  became  totally 
valueless.  Thus  reduced  in  circumstances,  he  removed  to 
the  western  side  of  the  Allesrhanies  in  1786,  and  settled 

O  ' 


18  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

on  a  small  farm  near  West  Liberty,  Ohio  County,  Vir 
ginia,  where  Thomas  Ewing  was  born  on  the  28th  day  of 
December,  17S9. 

In  April,  1792,  the  family  removed  to  the  mouth  of 
Olive  Green  Creek,  on  the  Muskinimm   River.     In  the 

O 

year  1795,  the  Indians  rising  in  all  directions,  they  were 
obliged  to  take  refuse  in  a  block-house  at  Olive  Green, 

O  O 

to  avoid  the  danger  of  beins;  massacred.     An  elder  sister 

C_*  O 

had  taught  young  Ewing  to  read;  and,  while  he  was 'in 
the  garrison,  he  very  assiduously  cultivated  acquaintance 
with  almost  the  only  book  it  afforded — the  Bible — and 
acquired  therefrom  the  cognomen  of  Bishop,  which  clur.g 
to  him  for  many  years. 

In  1797,  he  was  taken  to  West  Liberty,  and  there  went 
to  school  about  seven  months,  at  the  expiration  of  Avhich 
time  he  returned  to  his  father,  who  had  then  removed 
to  the  waters  of  Federal  Creek,  into  what  is  now  Athens 
County,  Ohio.  The  spot  selected  by  his  father  was  then 
in  the  wilderness,  and  seventeen  miles  beyond  the  fron 
tier  settlements.  Here,  for  nearly  three  years,  they  w7ere 
shut  out  from  any  intercourse  with  the  world.  Young 
Ewing,  during  this  time,  read  the  "  Vicar  of  Wakefield" 
and  "Fool  of  Quality."  These  and  the  Bible  wrere  all 
the  books  which,  up  to  that  time,  he  had  been  able  to 
procure.  In  the  year  1SOO,  a  few  other  families  from 
Xew7  England  had  settled  on  Federal  Creek;  and,  in  the 
winter  of  that  year,  a  school  was  opened  under  the  super 
intendence  of  Chas.  Cutler,  a  Cambridge  graduate,  who 
was  succeeded  by  Moses  Everett,  from  the  same  college. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  ID 

Ewing  studied,  one  quarter  under  each,  the  rudiments 
of  a  common  English  education,  and  this  was  the  total  of 

O  ' 

his  schooling  until  1812.  This  little  enterprising  com 
munity  of  New  Englanders  that  were  then  settled  upon 
Federal  Creek  had  but  few  books ;  and,  to  procure  a 
further  stock,  they  formed  a  library  association,  and 
raised  a  small  fund  by  subscription.  This  literary  fund 
(in  all  probability  the  first  that  was  ever  formed  in  the 
Northwestern  Territory)  was  sent  to  one  of  the  Eastern 
cities,  and  invested  in  books. 

The  whole  collection  was  brought  across  the  moun 
tains  on  horseback  in  a  sack.  With  the  exception  of 
Goldsmith's  works,  the  books  were  not  well  selected, 
consisting  principally  of  the  novels  then  fashionable, 
such  as  "  Amanda,'1  the  "  Romance  of  the  Forest,"  and 
dull  treatises  on  controversial  doctrines  of  divinity. 
Subsequent  additions  were  made  to  the  library,  among 
which  were  Plutarch's  "  Lives,"  Stewart's  "  Philosophy," 
Darwin's  "  Zoonamia,"  and  Locke's  "  Treatise  on  the 
Understanding." 

o 

Young  Ewing  fell  upon  these  with  a  literary  avidity 
which  none  can  understand  but  those  who,  under  like 
circumstances,  have  felt  it ;  and  he  devoured  the  whole, 
reading  at  all  his  leisure  hours,  and  principally  at  night 
by  the  light  of  hickory-bark. 

From  the  age  of  thirteen,  the  life  of  Ewing  was  labo 
rious.  Then  he  became  a  substantial  assistant  to  his 
father  upon  his  farm,  and  by-and-by  he  had  the  principal 
management  of  it.  Still,  he  found  time  to  read,  as  all 

O  /  ' 


20  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

can  find  who  have  a  thirst  for  knowledge;  but,  as  lie 
grew  older,  he  had  less  time  to  read  than  when  a  boy. 
The  little  he  had  learned,  however,  but  influenced  him 
with  a  desire  of  learning  more.  The  love  of  knowledge 
was  the  prevailing  and  all-absorbing  passion  of  his  soul. 
To  be  a  scholar  was  then  the  summit  of  his  highest  am 
bition.  He  felt  that  he  had  acquired  all  the  knowledge 
within  his  reach  ;  but  this  only  taught  him  ho\v  little,  in 
fact,  he  knew,  and  was  far  from  allaying  his  burning  thirst 
for  knowing  more.  Knowledge  there  was,  he  knew,  but 
how  to  reach  it  was  more  than  he  could  tell.  Poverty 
stared  him  in  the  face.  The  father  and  his  farm  anchor 
ed  him  at  home,  but  his  buoyant  spirits  led  him  off  on 
a  thousand  plans — through  many  aerial  castles,  and  in 
many  delightful  visions.  Calculations  were  made,  but 
made  in  vain.  Plans  were  formed,  but  they  were  soon 
but  air.  A  world  was  abroad,  but  what  it  was  the  eager 
student  hardly  knew.  And  yet,  the  more  he  knew  of  it, 
the  more  he  panted  to  act  his  part  in  it.  But  the  more 
he  thought  of  his  situation,  the  more  he  despaired.  Re 
flection  at  last  ripened  into  actual  suffering.  His  feelings 
became  intensely  interested.  The  bitter,  melancholy 
conclusion  at  last  was  that  he  must  abandon  all  hopes 
for  ever. 

But  in  the  summer  of  1808,  he  was  awakened  from 
this  stupor  by  a  youth  nearly  of  his  own  age,  whom  his 
father  had  hired  for  a  few  months  to  assist  him  in  farm 
ing,  and  who  had  rambled  about  and  seen  much  of  the 
world.  The  narrations  of  this  3'oung  man,  and  many 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  21 

of  his  adventures,  awakened  Ewingr;   and  as  money  was 

O  7  «/ 

what  he  wanted — in  order  to  obtain  the  means  of  pur 
suing  his  studies — he  was  induced  to  20  with  him  to  the 

~  o 

Kanawha  salines,  in  Western  Virginia,  in  order  there  to 
try  his  fortunes. 

He  obtained  the  consent  of  his  father,  and  left  home 
early  in  August,  with  his  knapsack  on  his  back,  and  but 
little  spending-money  in  his  pocket. 

He  got  on  board  of  a  keel-boat  at  Marietta,  bound  for 
Kanawha,  and  made  his  way  to  the  new  El  Dorado  of 
his  imagination.  During  the  three  or  four  months  he 

O  O 

was  absent,  he  worked  as  a  common  hand  at  the  salt 
wells,  and  was  tolerably  successful ;  but  the  greatest 
satisfaction  he  had  was  that  he  could  do  something  in 

O 

future. 

He  returned  home  in  the  winter,  witli  about  eighty 
dollars,  the  amount  of  his  wages,  leaving  his  companion 
behind,  whose  roving  disposition  prompted  him  to  rove 
still  more.  This  money  Ewing  gave  to  his  father,  to 
assist  him  in  paying  for  his  land.  The  surrender  of  this 
little  and  hard-earned  treasure  to  his  father  for  the  pur 
pose  of  enabling  him  to  save  his  land  from  forfeiture 
was  no  ordinary  sacrifice,  as  it  postponed  for  a  year  all 
prospect  of  prosecuting  his  studies,  and  condemned  him, 
for  a  while,  to  stifle  the  high  hopes  he  then  nourished  in 
his  bosom. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1809,  Mr.  Ewing  set  out  again 
'for  the  Kanawha  salt-works.  The  whole  of  this  season, 
until  November,  he  spent  in  most  assiduous  labor,  and 


22  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

lie  succeeded  well — the  profits  of  the  season  being  about 
four  hundred  dollars,  out  of  which  he  appropriated  sixty 
to  pay  the  balance  due  on  his  father's  land.  He  spent 
the  winter  at  Athens,  then  a  flourishing  academy,  but 
irregular  in  the  course  of  studies,  as  it  left  the  student 

O  ' 

to  pursue  such  a  course  as  he  might  think  proper.  At 
the  end  of  about  three  months,  he  left  this  academy,  and 
returned  to  Kanawha,  after  receiving  there  such  encour 
agement  from  the  president  of  the  institution,  and  such 
a  stimulus  from  others,  as  fixed  his  determination  to  pro 
cure  the  means  of  obtaining  an  education.  The  next 
two  years  he  devoted  to  this  object;  and  he  returned 
from  the  Kanawha  in  November,  1812,  with  about  eight 
hundred  dollars  in  money,  and  with  his  health  consider 
ably  impaired  with  severe  hard  labor. 

This  sum  he  supposed  would  be  sufficient  to  enable 
him  to  go  through  the  preparatory  studies,  and  acquire 
a  profession.  His  health,  however,  was  so  much  injured 
that  he  was  unable  to  commence  his  studies.  But  he 
again  fell  upon  the  library  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
home,  which  was  now  enlarged ;  and,  from  the  repose 
given  him,  and  the  leisure  spent  in  reading  such  works 
as  Don  Quixote,  he  laughed  himself  into  such  good 
health  and  spirits  that  in  December  he  was  able  to  go 
back  to  Athens,  where  he  continued  to  be  a  most  inde 
fatigable  student  until  the  spring  of  1814.  His  progress 
during  this  time  was  very  rapid.  He  became  familiar 
with  many  of  the  best  English  authors ;  and,  as  his  judg 
ment  matured,  he  easily  obtained  a  knowledge  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  23 

English  grammar,  rhetoric,  and  logic.  Mathematics, 
however,  was  his  favorite  study,  for  which  he  had  a 
natural  inclination,  and  hence  Euclid  was  the  favorite 
author.  The  philosophy  which  depended  upon  mathe 
matical  demonstration  he  studied  with  care  and  pleasure, 
and  in  it  made  much  proficiency. 

He  also  studied  the  Latin,  but  determined  to  omit  the 
Greek. 

In  1814,  Mr.  Ewing  became  satisfied  that  his  funds 
would  not  hold  out,  and  he  took  a  school  in  Gallipolis. 

Not  liking  this  employment,  at  the  end  of  a  quarter  he 
relinquished  it,  and  returned  to  Kauawha,  the  old  scene 
of  his  labors,  to  collect  a  small  sum  that  was  due  him, 
and  to  see  what  could  be  done  toward  adding  something 
to  his  funds.  He  threw  off  the  dress  of  the  student,  and 
again  went  to  work  at  the  salines.  He  hired  a  furnace, 
and  in  one  month  of  incessant  toil,  the  severest  he  ever 
undertook,  he  improved  the  state  of  his  finances  so  that 
he  felt  confident  thev  would  bear  him  through  his 

•J  O 

studies. 

At  some  period  of  his  labors  at  the  Kauawha  salt 
works — and  it  was  probably  this — he  labored  twenty 
hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  and  he  was  often  found, 
during  the  four  hours  allotted  to  sleep,  working  with 
open  eyes,  but  still  asleep,  between  the  two  rows  of 
boiling  salt  kettles,  where  a  false  step  would  probably 
have  destroyed  life. 

"With  his  hard-earned  treasure,  he  returned  to  Athens, 
where  he  continued  till  the  spring  of  1815. 


24  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

At  tlie  examination  in  May,  1815,  the  trustees  of  tbe 
institution  rated  him  the  degree  of  A.B.,  being  the  first, 
with  one  other,  upon  whom  this  degree  was  conferred  by 
a  college  in  Ohio. 

The  circumstances  which  decided  Mr.  Ewing's  choice 
of  profession  wrere  probably  these.  In  1810,  he  took  a 
boat-load  of  salt  to  Marietta.  While  there,  accident  led 
him  to  the  Court-house.  The  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
was  then  in  session,  and  he  entered  a  court-house  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life.  It  happened  that  an  interest 
ing  criminal  trial  was  going  on.  The  attention  of  the 
youiicr  salt-boiler  w^as  .riveted  to  the  scene ;  nor  did  he 

«/  O 

quit  the  room  until  the  case  was  closed.  He  had  wit 
nessed  a  high  intellectual  effort — he  had  listened  to 
an  advocate  (the  late  Elijah  B.  Merriam)  of  uncommon 
ability. 

Hitherto  he  had  not  known  or  felt  the  power  of 
eloquence.  We  may  suppose  that,  along  wyith  his  admi 
ration  of  intellect  in  another,  there  was  associated  a 
consciousness  of  his  own  mental  powers,  and  a  feeling 
kindred  to  that  which  caused  the  untutored  Correggio, 
after  gazing  for  the  first  time  upon  the  pictures  of 
Raphael,  to  exclaim :  "  I,  too,  am  a  painter,''  In  truth, 
this  must  have  been  so,  for  he  turned  away  to  pursue 
his  toilsome  occupation  with  the  fixed  purpose  of  be 
coming  a  lawyer. 

After  he  left  college,  he  spent  a  few  days  with  his 
relatives,  and  then  bewail  his  leo;al  studies  in  the  office 

'  o  O 

of  General  Beecher,  at  Lancaster,  Ohio — a  man  of  sense 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  2o 

and  intelligence,  and  for  several  years  a  member  of  Con 
gress  from  Ohio. 

Gen.  Beecber  discovered  the  merit  and  approved  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  Ewino;.     He  received  him  as  a  student  in 

o 

his  office,  and,  immediately  upon  his  admission  to  the  bar, 
took  him  into  partnership.  While  Mr.  Ewing  was  pur- 
suino;  his  law  studies,  he  was  an  indefatigable  student, 

O  /  O 

devoting  to  his  books  every  hour  that  was  not  required 
for  necessary  repose. 

Mr.  Ewing's  rise  at  the  bar  was  rapid.  He  entered 
almost  immediately  into  full  practice  in  his  region  of  the 
State.  In  keeping  with  the  generous  filial  character  he 
displayed  in  the  appropriation  of  his  first  savings  at  Kan- 
awha,  he  expended  his  first  accumulation  at  the  bar  in 
the  purchase  of  a  fine  tract  of  land  in  Indiana,  on  which 
he  settled  his  father  and  family.  As  his  powers  and 
reputation  grew  apace,  the  area  of  his  practice  was  ex 
tended  to  embrace  and  was  chiefly  confined  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Ohio,  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United 
States  for  the  District  of  Ohio,  and  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  at  Washington,  in  which  he  has  been 
engaged  with  only  occasional  interruptions  by  high  offi 
cial  duties  down  to  a  recent  time.  He  was  distin 
guished  at  the  bar  for  his  sound  logical  mind,  a  clear 
conception  and  mastery  of  the  general  principles  that 
underlie  the  system  of  the  law,  and  a  most  comprehen 
sive  power  of  analysis  and  array  of  the  facts  bearing  upon 
his  case ;  to  which  may  be  added  an  extraordinary 
general  knowledge  of  the  round  of  physical  sciences — 


26  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

great  power  in  the  hands  of  a  lawyer,  which  lias  con 
tributed  its  share  in  placing  him  in  the  front  rank  of  the 
profession  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Ewing  finished  his  collegiate  studies  at  so  late  a 
period,  and  was  for  some  years  thereafter  so  constantly 
devoted  to  his  practice,  that  his  attention  was  not  early 
turned  to  political  concerns.  He  entered  upon  political 
life  in  his  election  in  1830  to  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  Without  family  or  political  influence  or 
affiliations,  his  election  to  this  high  place  was  prompted 
by  a  strong  and  just  sense  of  his  eminent  qualifications, 
honorable  alike  to  the  Legislature  and  the  new  Senator. 

In  no  period  since  the  formation  of  the  Government 
has  the  Senate  Chamber  been  graced  by  a  galaxy  of  minds 
more  brilliant  and  powerful  than  in  the  first  term  that 
Mr.  Ewing  sat  there.  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Benton, 
Wright,  Preston,  and  other  first  names  in  the  nation  then 

\~>        f  / 

filled  the  Senate,  and  it  is  no  slight  praise  to  say  that  the 
Ohio  Senator  lost  nothing  in  the  contrast ;  the  reputation 
that  won  for  him  the  place  was  but  augmented  by  the 
new  theatre  on  which  his  powers  were  displayed.  He 
bore  a  not  inconspicuous  part  in  the  exciting  political 
contests  of  the  sessions  from  1830-37  as  an  opponent  of 
the  administration  of  General  Jackson. 

Under  the  operations  of  the  strict  party  discipline, 
gaining  force  year  by  year,  Mr.  Ewing  failed  of  a  re-elec 
tion,  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  resumed  the  full  practice 
of  his  profession. 

On  the  accession  of  General  Harrison  to  the  Presidency 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  27 

in  1841,  Mr.  Ewing  was  next  called  into  public  service  by 
the  invitation  of  the  incoming  President  to  a  place  in 
the  Cabinet.  The  general  voice  of  the  country  designated 
him  as  the  proper  man  for  the  organization  of  reform  in 
the  administration  of  the  important  department  of  the 
General  Post-Office,  but  he  was  ultimately  assigned  to  the 
more  conspicuous  and  important  place  of  the  Treasury. 
The  death  of  General  Harrison  brought  Mr.  Tyler  into 
the  Presidency,  and,  on  his  special  invitation,  the  Harri 
son  Cabinet  remained  in  office,  until  the  developments  of 
the  memorable  extra  session  of  1841  disclosed  to  the 
world  the  violation  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Tyler  of  all  the 
pledges  of  the  party  that  elected  him  to  power,  and  the 
disappointment  of  the  hopes  grounded  on  its  success. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  prompt  among  his  associates  in  the 
Cabinet  in  his  election  between  an  adherence  to  the  prin 
ciples  and  promises  of  his  party  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
allurements  of  place  and  power  on  the  other;  and  the 
scathing  letter  of  resignation  with  which  he  surrendered 
the  keys  of  office  did  much  to  mark  the  boundaries  that 
separated  the  President  from  the  true  men  of  the  party 
he  had  betrayed. 

In  the  formation  of  the  Cabinet  of  General  Taylor,  in 
1849,  by  common  voice  a  prominent  place  was  assigned 
to  Mr.  Ewing.  With  a  just  appreciation  of  his  qualifica 
tions  for  the  important  task,  he  was  invited  by  the  Presi 
dent  to  the  charge  of  the  new  Department  of  the 
Interior,  involving  in  its  administration,  beyond  the  ordi 
nary  duties  of  a  Cabinet  officer,  the  organization  of  a  new 


28  BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

department  of  many  separate  bureaus,  and  having  charge 
of  the  public  lands,  the  Indian  affairs,  and  the  Patent 
Office.  He  filled  this  post  with  honor  and  ability  until 
August,  1850,  when,  after  the  death  of  General  Taylor 
and  the  accession  of  Mr.  Fillmore,  the  Taylor  Cabinet, 
failing  to  harmonize  on  certain  important  questions  with 
the  new  President,  resigned  their  offices. 

/  O 

Mr.  Ewing  was  thereupon  appointed  by  Governor 
Ford  to  a  seat  in  the  Senate  (vacated  by  the  resignation 
of  Governor  Corwin,  who  went  into  Mr.  Fillmore's  Cabi 
net),  and  continued  in  the  Senate  until  March  4,  1851, 
when  he  retired  from  political  life,  and  resumed  the  prac 
tice  of  his  profession. 

In  person,  Mr.  Ewing  was  large  and  stoutly  built,  so 
that  he  was  physically  as  well  as  intellectually  a  strong 
man.  In  his  early  hard  labor  in  felling  the  forests  of 
the  West,  and  in  feeding  the  furnace  of  the  salt-works, 
his  figure  must  have  been  developed  and  strengthened 
much  more  than  if  in  early  life  he  had  been  devoted 
wholly  to  sedentary  pursuits ;  and  at  the  same  time  he 
was  confirmed  in  habits  of  industry  that  he  never  lost. 

His  manner  of  speaking  was  not  graceful,  yet  it  com 
manded  attention.  He  was  powerful  from  his  matter 
rather  than  his  manner.  Plain,  open,  straightforward, 
fearless,  with  little  or  no  attempt  at  oratorical  display,  he 
laid  hold  with  all  his  might  upon  whatever  his  hands 
found  to  do.  His  eye  was  fixed  upon  a  point,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  swerve  him.  Others  there  were  more  elo 
quent  in  manner  than  he,  to  whom  nature  had  given 


BIOGEAPHICAL    SKETCH. 

finer  voices  or  more  captivating  oratory ;  but  few  were 
more  powerful  in  thought,  few  with  more  resources,  or 
who  had  more  or  better  weapons  in  any  logomachy  tilt. 
He  seemed  to  be  well  informed  on  every  point  that  arose 
in  debate,  whether  a  matter  of  history,  of  philosophy,  of 
poetry,  or  of  criticism,  thus  showing  that  he  had  read 
much,  and  had  not  read  in  vain. 

How  instructive  is  the  life  of  such  a  man,  and  with 
what  force  does  it  commend  itself  to  every  young  Ameri 
can,  not  only  arousing  him  to  exertion,  but  admonishing' 
him  to  fix  his  ambition  high,  and  to  gratify  it  only  in  the 
path  of  virtue,  integrity,  and  honor,  and  thus  to  win  that 
reputation  that  abides  and  outlasts  the  corrosive  rust  of 
time ! 

Honors  ever  seek  him  in  the  virtuous  days  of  n 
republic  who  deserves  them ;  but  that  is  not  honor  which 
is  won  by  meanness  and  intrigue  at  the  cost  of  integrity 
and  self-respect. 

Grovellino*  ambition  tarnishes  and  stains  whatever  it 

O 

touches;  but  an  ambition  like  that  which  animated  the 
bosom  of  Ewino-  dignifies  and  ennobles  whatever  it  wins. 


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DEATH  OF  BOX.  THOMAS  EWI$G. 

Special  to  the  Enquirer. 


LANCASTER.  OHIO,  October  20,  1871. 

Hon.  Thomas  Ewing  died  at  his  residence  in  this  city 
at  three  and  a  half  o'clock  this  afternoon.  All  his  sons 
and  daughters  were  with  him,  and  he  retained  his  facul 
ties  almost  to  the  last  moment. 

Funeral  services  will  take  place  on  Saturday  next,  at 
eleven  o'clock.  The  remains  will  be  interred  in  our 
cemetery. 


"Sue!)  rjvMHtr  oltr  ajjc,  croUwinrj  a  Jjajujj?  life, 
mattes  men  pause,  antr  toonlrrr  toiji?  tfjej?  tfjougljt 
so  beautiful." 


FUNERAL  OF  THOMAS  EWING, 


AT  LANCASTER, 


Correspondence  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial. 


LANCASTER,  Orno,  October  28,  1871. 

THE  funeral  of  Thomas  Ewing,  the  most  honored 
citizen  of  this  city,  took  place  to-day  from  St.  Mary's 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  in  the  presence  of  one  of  the 
largest  assemblies  of  prominent  and  distinguished  men 
ever  seen  in  Fairfield  County  upon  any  public  occasion. 

For  several  weeks  before  he  died,  Mr.  Ewing  calmly 
awaited  the  final  dissolution,  and,  although  subjected  at 
times  to  the  most  severe  suffering,  endured  the  ordeal 
with  lieroic  fortitude,  and  retained  possession  of  his 
extraordinary  faculties  to  the  last.  His  beloved  daugh 
ter,  the  wife  of  General  Sherman,  was  with  him  some 
time  before  his  decease,  and  fondly  hoped  to  take  him  to 
her  home  in  Washington,  where  she  could  devote  herself 
without  a  sense  of  divided  duty  to  his  remaining  days ; 
but  the  lapses  of  suffering  were  too  short  to  permit  the 


34  FUXEEAL    OF    THOMAS    EWI^G. 

execution  of  the  cherished  purpose,  and,  on  Thursday 
last,  surrounded  by  all  he  held  dear  on  earth, 


"  full  of  repentance, 

Continual  meditations,  tears,  and  sorrows, 

lie  gave  liis  lionors  to  the  world  again, 

His  blessed  part  to  heaven,  and  slept  in  peace." 

The  remains,  encased  in  a  superb  burial-casket,  lay  in 
Mr.  Ewing's  sitting-room,  in  the  family  residence,  and 
were  viewed  by  friends  and  visitors  for  the  last  time  up 
to  the  hour  of  burial.  Everything  in  the  room  appeared 
as  he  left  them ;  his  table,  with  books,  papers,  and 
writing  materials,  his  watch  and  spectacles,  all  lay  as 
deposited  by  his  hands  when  the  final  summons  came. 
Fine  portraits  of  the  distinguished  statesman  as  he 
appeared  in  early,  middle,  and  after-life  hung  upon  the 
walls,  and  Jones's  magnificent  colossal  bust,  well  known 
to  every  Ohioan,  and  pronounced  by  every  one  who 
knew  the  original  to  be  the  best  likeness  which  the  hand 
of  art  has  produced,  stood  near,  and  told  more  eloquently 
than  words  of  the  intellectual  greatness  that  made  Mr. 
Ewing  the  fit  compeer  of  Webster,  Clay,  and  Calhouu. 

Lying  in  the  cold  embrace  of  death,  the  once  com 
manding  countenance  and  the  towering  form  still  indi 
cated  the  physical  greatness  of  the  man.  The  features 
wore  a  solemn,  dignified,  and  cairn  expression  ;  the  noble 
brow  and  the  massive  "  dome  of  thought  "  riveted  atten 
tion,  and  in  their  splendid  proportions  gave  the  imagi 
nation  scope  for  endowing  the  clay  with  all  the  grand 


FUNERAL    OF   THOMAS    EWIXG.  35 

intellectual   attributes   that  inspire  respect   and   excite 
admiration. 

A  rich  simplicity  characterized  the  preparations  for 
entombment.  There  was  no  ostentation,  no  attempt  at 
worldly  display.  Some  loving  hand  had  placed  sweet 
flowers  and  fragrant  leaves  upon  the  coffin-lid,  the  plate 
of  which  bore  the  simple  inscription  : 

THOMAS  EWIXG. 

Born  December  28,  1789. 

Died  October  26,  1871. 

The  last  look  was  taken  at  the  house,  and  before 
removal  the  final  enclosure  of  the  casket  was  performed. 

The  train  from  Columbus  at  ten  o'clock  brought 
Governor  Hayes  ;  Hon.  F.  B.  Pond,  Attorney-General  of 
the  State  ;  Hon.  Isaac  R.  Sherwood,  Secretary  of  State  ; 
Adjutant-General  "W.  A.  Knapp  ;  General  Charles  C. 
Walcutt,  Collector  ,of  the  Seventh  District ;  Eev.  A.  G. 
Byers,  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities ; 
Honorables  Mcllvaine,  White,  and  Welch,  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court ;  Senators  John  Sherman  and  A.  G. 
Thurmau,  of  Ohio ;  Judges  James  L.  Bates,  John  L. 
Greene,  and  Joseph  Olds ;  John  H.  James,  Esq.,  of 
Urbana  ;  L.  J.  Critchfield,  Esq.,  Reporter  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  and  several  other  prominent  citizens. 

Judge  William  B.  Woods,  of  the  United  States  Court 
in  Alabama,  and  Hon.  Willard  Warner,  ex-Senator  of 
Alabama,  were  also  in  attendance ;  and  Professor 
Gibbons,  of  the  Ohio  University,  came  to  pay  the  final 


36  FUNERAL    OF    THOMAS    EVVING. 

tribute  of  respect  to  one  whom  that  institution  honored 
as  its  first  graduate. 

The  residence  was  filled  with  friends  and  visitors.  All 
the  bells  in  the  city  tolled  during  the  funeral. 

At  eleven  o'clock,  the  burial  cortege  moved  from  the 
house  to  St.  Mary's  Church.  The  casket  was  borne  to 
the  church — only  a  square  distant — by  the  pall-bearers, 
and  was  received  at  the  entrance  of  the  sacred  edifice  by 
his  Grace  Archbishop  Purcell,  of  Cincinnati ;  Very  Rev. 
Father  Young,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  other  assistant 
clergymen.  The  pall-bearers  were :  Governor  R.  B. 
Hayes,  of  Ohio ;  Honorables  Henry  Stanbery,  of  Cin 
cinnati  ;  Senators  A.  G.  Thurman  and  John  Sherman  ; 
Judge  Welch,  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  John  II.  James, 
of  Urbana  ;  George  Reber,  of  Sandusky  ;  A.  B.  Walker, 
of  Athens ;  II.  B.  Curtis,  of  Mt,  Vernon ;  W.  Mar 
shall  Anderson,  of  Circleville ;  C.  B.  Goddard,  of  Zanes- 
ville;  II.  II.  Hunter,  M.  A.  Daugherty,  John  T.  Bra- 
zee,  J.  D.  Martin,  James  R.  Pearce,  D.  Tallmadge, 
Charles  Borland,  G.  G.  Beck,  S.  A.  Griswold,  F.  A. 
Foster,  Samuel  Herr,  C.  M.  L.  Wiseman,  Jacob  Beck,  and 
J.  F.  Yandemark,  Esquires ;  and  Dr.  T.  O.  Edwards, 
of  Lancaster. 

The  mourning  carriages  conveyed  Judge  P.  B.  Ewing ; 
Generals  Hugh,  Thomas,  and  Charles  Ewing,  sons  of  the 
deceased  ;  General  Sherman  and  Colonel  Steele,  married 
to  daughters  of  Mr.  Ewing,  and  their  respective  families. 

The  imposing  ceremony  of  the  Catholic  Church  pro 
vided  for  the  burial  of  the  dead  was  celebrated  T>y 


FUNERAL  OF  THOMAS  EWING.  37 

Father  Young,  after  which  Archbishop  Purcell  ascended 
the  pulpit,  and  addressed  the  immense  congregation 
Not  all  the  Archbishop  said  reached  the  hearing  of  the 
reporter,  but  enough  was  gathered  to  ascertain  that  an 
eloquent  eulogy  was  pronounced.  The  life  and  career 
of  Mr.  Ewing  were  intelligently  and  graphically  traced, 
from  the  earliest  period  down  to  the  last  moments,  and 
the  record  was  held  up  as  a  model  for  the  young  and  an 
honor  to  the  surviving  relatives. 

O 

There  was  a  beautiful  manifestation  of  Providence,  the 
Archbishop  said,  in  the  presence  of  Father  Young,  the 
nephew  of  Father  Fenwick,  afterwards  the  first  Bishop 
of  Cincinnati,  who  celebrated  the  nuptials  of  Mr.  Ewing, 
and  who  has  himself  been  his  warm  personal  friend  for 
more  than  half  a  century,  manifestly  sent  by  Almighty 
God  to  reach  out  his  hand  to  his  dying  friend,  and  help 
him  in  his  last  step  into  the  church,  and  to  soothe  his 
dying  hours.  He  had  always  treated  the  other  denomi 
nations  with  uniform  respect,  especially  the  Methodist 
denomination,  which  he  respected  for  its  many  good 
works;  but  in  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  alone  he  found 
consolation,  and,  for  a  period  of  thirty-eight  years,  Mr. 
Ewing  had  been  deeply  convinced  that  the  Catholic 
Church  was  the  only  one  that  contained  satisfying  evi 
dences  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion.  He  was  a 
frequent  and  for  a  considerable  period  of  his  life  a  con 
stant  and  reverential  attendant  at  the  ministrations 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  down  to  the 
very  last  year  of  his  life  took  personal  care  to  see 


38  FU1STEEAL    OF    THOMAS    EWIXG. 

that  his  name  was   borne   on    the   list    of  pew-holders 
in   the    church. 

"Never,"  said  the  speaker,  "was  he  heard  to  utter  an 
objection  to  its  ritual,  its  morality,  or  its  influence  on 
governments  or  on  society.  This  influence  he  had  deeply 
studied  in  Guizot's  'History  of  Civilization,'  in  '  Balmes,' 
in  the  '  History  of  the  Religious  Orders  of  the  Catholic 
Church,'  in  the  sublime  devotion  of  the  'Sisterhoods  of 
Charity,'  in  the  life  and  virtues  of  his  incomparable  wife, 
and  the  education  of  his  children. 

"Once  in  Boston  he  desired  to  hear  the  elder  Chan- 
ning,  but  on  that  occasion  he  was  disappointed.  The 
Unitarian  pulpit  was  occupied  by  a  mediocre,  an  unin 
teresting  speaker.  The  congregation  was  composed  of  a 
few  worshippers,  if  they  could  be  so  called,  reclining 
listlessly  in  luxurious  pews.  But  on  his  return  to  his 
hotel,  he  passed  by  a  Catholic  church,  too  small  for  the 
congregation,  many  of  whom  were  kneeling  on  the  wet 
ground,  apparently  in  fervent  prayer. 

"The  scene,  the  incidents  of  the  day,  had  their  effect 
on  the  thoughtful  mind  of  Mr.  Ewing,  who  related  to  me 
himself  this  anecdote.  It  helped,  with  other  and  graver 
considerations,  to  convince  him  where  the  true  religion 
could  be  found. 

"  More  than  once,  especially  at  the  earnest  request  of 
Mrs.  Ewing  and  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Sherman,  I  availed 
myself  of  what  I  regarded  as  auspicious  occasions  to  urge 
him  to  embrace  that  saving  faith  to  \vhich  I  had  often  heard 
him  render  unmistakable  testimonies.  His  answer  was, 


FUNERAL    OF    THOMAS    EWIXG.  39 

'  Not  now."  After  all,  faith  is  a  gift  of  God.  but  it  is 
granted  to  the  sincerity  of  the  enquirer,  to  purity  of  life, 
to  moral  worth,  to  the  untiring  prayer  of  the  just.  It 
was  therefore  granted  to  our  deceased  lamented  friend. 

"  On  the  Saturday  before  his  death,  he  sought  my  min 
istration,  and,  in  the  fulness  of  the  faith,  with  marked 
reverence  and  devotion,  received  at  my  hands  the  body 
and  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist.  '  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my 
blood  hath  everlasting  life ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  in  the 
last  day.'  " 

In  o-ratitude  for  the  assistance  which  the  church  had 

O 

rendered  Mr.  Ewing  in  raising  his  family  in  the  right- 
way,  he  directed  before  his  death  that  a  thousand  dollars 
be  given  for  religious  purposes,  and  this  was  only  part 
of  the  many  benevolent  acts  of  his  life.  He  had  given 
two  thousand  dollars  toward  the  erection  of  the  church 
in  which  his  remains  were  then  receiving  the  last  rites, 

O  / 

and  he  had  in  every  proper  manner  acknowledged  him 
self  in  will  a  Catholic,  as  well  as  he  did  in  form  before 
lie  died.  And  it  was  because  the  Catholic  Church 
embraced  everything  in  its  faith  to  satisfy  the  reason, 
the  intellect,  and  the  heart,  that  Mr.  Ewing  came 
into  its  fold.  He  was  convinced  that  the  Holy  Scrip 
tures  sanction  and  point  out  everything  the  church 
believes  and  teaches.  "  Yes,"  repeated  the  venerable 
prelate,  u  the  holy  Bible  is  the  charter  of  our  faith  and 
the  rule  of  our  life.  The  holy  Bible,  which  is  to  be  found 
in  every  Catholic  family,  and  which  is  read  by  every 


40  FUXERAL    OF    THOMAS    EWIXG. 

Catholic,  is  not  forbidden  or  prohibited,  as  the  enemies 
of  the  church  and  religion  falsely  charge,  It  is  the 
foundation  of  Christianity,  because  it  is  the  Word  of  God, 
and  the  Catholic,  the  universal  Church,  so  teaches." 

The  Archbishop,  in  conclusion,  paid  a  glowing  tribute 
to  Mr.  Ewing  as  a  statesman,  as  a  patriot,  as  a  citizen, 
father,  and  friend,  and  recalled  his  first  impression  of 
him  seated  in  the  United  States  Senate,  surrounded  by 
the  great  ones  of  the  greatest  country  in  the  world, 
feeling  then,  as  his  riper  knowledge  of  the  man  con 
firmed,  that  in  that  most  distinguished  and  august 

O  O. 

assembly  he  occupied  a  fitting  place.  Mr.  Ewing,  he 
said,  disapproved  of  secret  societies,  such  as  the  Masonic 
and  Odd  Fellows  and  others,  simply  because  he  con 
sidered  them  unnecessary.  This  was  a  free  country,  and 
such  organizations  were  really  useless.  The  church 
afforded  every  means  and  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of 
benevolence  in  every  form,  and  what  was  the  need  for 
darkness  and  secrecy? 

Mr.  Ewing  had  shown  by  a  spotless  life  of  eighty-two 
years  that  the  teachings  of  religion  were  enough  to 
enable  any  man  to  lead  a  blameless  life,  become  rich  and 
honorable,  and  bequeath  to  his  posterity  the  still  richer 
inheritance  of  a  good  name,  without  the  assistance  of  a 
secret  society. 

Such  was  his  moral  purity,  the  Archbishop  said,  that 
he  never  was  heard  to  utter  a  profane  or  vulgar  word, 
and  such  was  the  example  of  his  life  that  his  memory 
was  honored  in  his  loving  and  devoted  children. 


FUNERAL    OF    THOMAS    EWIXG.  41 

At  the  close  of  the  ceremonies  in  the  church,  the  fune 
ral  procession  reformed  in  the  following  order : 

1.  Pall-bearers, 

2.  The  hearse, 

3.  Family  and  relatives, 

4.  Distinguished  citizens  from  abroad, 

5.  Members  of  the  bar, 

G.  City  Council, 

7.  Citizen?, 

and  proceeded  to  the  cemetery,  about  half  a  mile  out  of 
the  city.  The  remains  were  deposited  beside  those  of 
Mrs.  Ewinof,  whom  her  distinguished  husband  survived 

O '  O 

only  a  few  years,  and  the  interment  was  final. 

And  thus  passed  away  one  of  the  colossal  men  of 
the  century — a  man  who  rose  from  the  obscurity  of  a 
Western  pioneer's  life  to  the  highest  distinction  which 
the  intellect  can  command  in  the  American  Republic, 
and  whose  noble  qualities  and  honorable  name  are 
heritage  enough  to  distinguish  those  he  left  behind. 

E.  B. 


FUNERAL    CEREMONIES. 


From  the  Lancaster  paper. 


IT  had  been  announced  that  the  funeral  ceremonies 
would  commence  at  eleven  o'clock,  on  Saturday  last,  at 
the  Catholic  church,  and  previous  to  that  hour  citizens 
and  strangers  proceeded  in  large  numbers  towards  the 
Ewing  mansion,  so  that,  before  the  hour  above  named, 
the  house,  the  grounds,  and  the  streets  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  were  thronged  with  people.  Every  one  seemed 
to  appreciate  the  fact  that  a  great  man  had  passed  away, 
and  the  manifestations  of  respect  were  of  that  quiet  but 
earnest  character  that  represents  sincerity.  A  long  line 
of  people  passed  through  the  house  to  look  for  the  last 
time  on  the  face  of  the  creat  statesman.  It  was  re- 

O 

marked  by  those  who  had  seen  Mr.  Ewing  within  a 
year  that  emaciation  had  accomplished  more  on  his 
countenance  than  they  had  anticipated ;  but  the  marks 
of  a  master-mind  could  not  be  effaced,  and  even  in  deatli 
the  countenance  reflected  greatness. 

All  of  Mr.  Ewino-'s  sons  and  daughters,  with  their 

O  O  / 

families,  were  present,  including  Judge  P.  B.  Ewing, 
General  Hugh  Ewing,  General  Thomas  Ewing,  General 
Charles  Ewing,  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  with  his  wife 
and  family,  and  Colonel  Steele  and  wife. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  the  procession  Avas  formed  and 
moved  on  foot  to  St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church,  the  follow- 


FUNERAL    CEUEMOXIE3.  43 

ing  gentlemen  acting  as  pall-bearers :  Messiv.  II.  II. 
Hunter,  Michael  A.  Daugherty,  John  T.  Brazee,  John  D. 
Martin,  James  R.  Pearee,  D.  Tallmadge,  Charles  Bor 
land,  G.  G.  Beck,  S.  A.  Griswold,  F.  A.  Foster,  Samuel 
Ilerr,  C.  M.  L.  Wiseman,  Jacob  Beck,  T.  O.  Edwards, 
and  J.  F.  Vandemark,  all  of  Lancaster;  Hon.  Henry 
Stanbery,  of  Kentucky ;  Governor  R.  B.  Hayes,  of  Ohio ; 
Hon.  A.  G.  Thurman,  of  Columbus;  Hon.  John  Sher 
man,  of  Mansfield;  Hon.  John  Welch,  of  Athens; 
Colonel  John  H.  James,  of  Urbana;  Hon.  George  Reber, 
of  Saudusky ;  Hon.  A.  B.  Walker,  of  Athens;  General 
H.  B.  Curtis,  of  Mt.  Vernon ;  W.  Marshall  Anderson,  of 
Circleville;  and  C.  B.  Goddard,  of  Zanesville. 

The  auditorium  of  the  church  was  filled  with  people, 
and  the  ceremonies  were  conducted  by  Rev.  Father 
Young,  formerly  of  Perry  County,  one  of  the  oldest 
priests  in  the  United  States;  at  their  conclusion,  Arch 
bishop  Purcell,  of  Cincinnati,  delivered  an  address,  in 
which  he  spoke  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  character  of 
the  deceased.  The  Archbishop  spoke  of  Mr.  E wing's 
good  citizenship,  his  devotedness  as  a  father,  the  purity 
of  his  patriotism,  and  the  greatness  of  his  mind.  Contem 
porary  with  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun,  and  Hayne,  he  was 
worthy  of  the  hi^li  rank  he  took  in  the  counsels  of  the 

«/  O 

nation  when  such  distinguished  men  were  in  the  field  of 
statesmanship.  He  had  risen  by  sterling  merit,  and  was 
as  much  a  model  in  his  private  relations  as  he  was  in  his 
relations  to  the  country.  He  was  a  man  who  never  for 
got  a  favor,  and  had  frequently  made  substantial  expres- 


44  FUNERAL    CEREMONIES. 

sions  of  his  gratitude  to  those  who  had  comforted  him 
or  those  dear  to  him  in  hours  of  affliction.  The  Arch 
bishop  spoke  of  Mr.  Swing's  relations  to  the  Catholic 
Church  ;  for  thirty-eight  years,  while  practising  liberality 
to  the  religious  opinions  of  all,  he  had  expressed  his  convic 
tion  that  the  evidence  was  in  favor  of  the  church  with 
which  he  finally  connected  himself  during  his  last  illness. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  address,  the  procession  re 
formed,  and  proceeded  to  the  cemetery  in  carriages,  in  the 
following  order : 

First,  pall-bearers;  second,  hearse;  third,  the  family; 
fourth,  visitors;  fifth,  members  of  the  bar  and  city  coun 
cil  of  Lancaster;  sixth,  citizens. 

At  the  cemetery,  the  Catholic  ceremonies  were  ob 
served,  and  the  remains  of  Mr.  E  win  or  were  interred 

/  O 

beside  those  of  his  wife,  who  died  seven  years  ago. 

Among  the  strangers  present  were  Judges  Welch, 
White,  and  Mcllvaine,  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio  ; 
Hon.  John  Sherman  and  Hon.  Allen  G.  Thurman,  United 
States  Senators;  Governor  R.  B.  Hayes,  General  I.  R. 
Sherwood,  General  F.  B.  Pond,  General  W.  T.  Wilson, 
Judo;e  John  L.  Greene,  Judo;e  James  L.  Bates,  M.  M. 

O  /  O  / 

Green,  Esq.,  Adjutant-General  Kuapp,  L.  J.  Critchfield, 
Esq.,  Colonel  L.  Baber,  Rev.  A.  G.  Byers,  Thomas  Mil 
ler,  Esq.,  General  C.  C.  Walcutt,  R.  C.  Hoffman,  Esq., 
General  H.  B.  Curtis,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Colonel  John  II. 
James,  of  Urbana,  and  a  number  of  gentlemen  from 
Looran,  including;  Judores  Gro2;an,  Wriorht,  Alfred,  and 

O          '  O  i  O  O          7    i  O         / 

many  others. 


Finis  coronat  Opus" 


FAMILY  TESTIMONY. 


WASHINGTON,  IX  C.,  Nov.   14,  187 '2. 
IIox.  P.  B.  E \VING,  LANCASTER,  OHIO  : 

MY  DEAR  BROTHER  :  As  you  are  aware,  I  am  nrraug- 
ing  papers  for  tlie  publication  of  a  memorial  of  our 
beloved  father,  for  distribution  among  liis  particular 
personal  friends,  but  mainly  for  preservation  among 
his  own  children  and  grandchildren,  and  bv  them  to 

O  *J 

be  handed  down  to  their  descendants,  in  testimony 
of  the  fact  that  before  his  death  he  was  blessed  with 
the  fulness  of  faith — that  faith  to  the  intellectual 
acknowledgment  of  which  his  researches  and  his 
reason  had  lono;  before  brought  him,  and  for  the 

O  O  * 

possession  of  which  his  heart  had  long  anxiously 
yearned. 

I  desire  also  in  this  way  to  preserve  for  his  de 
scendants  the  evidences  and  expressions  of  tlie  respect 
and  veneration,  of  the  affection  and  honor,  in  which 
he  was  held  by  his  countrymen.  To  meet  this  end, 
T  shall  publish  some  private  communications  addressed 
to  different  members  of  the  family  after  his  death ; 
the  newspaper  notices  of  that  event  and  of  his  funeral; 
and  the  proceedings  of  public  bodies  in  different  cities 
of  the  State  and  in  the  Capitol  of  the  nation  on  the 


48  FAMILY     TESTIMONY. 

occasion  of  his  death.  These  will  be  grateful  testi 
monials  of  the  noble  life  of  him  of  whom  those  who 
knew  him  longest  and  best  could  say,  "After  a  long 
life  of  usefulness,  he  has  left  us  a  reputation  of  pure 
moral  excellence  without  a  spot  or  a  single  blemish.'' 

The  greater  number  of  these  publications  will  bear 
evidence  of  the  fact  that  he  came  into  the  church. 
We,  his  children,  who  with  loving  solicitude  so  long- 
watched  for  the  coming  of  this  transcendent  gift  of 

O  <— ' 

laith,  saw  his  mind  and  heart  for  years  draw  nearer 
and  more  near  the  truth,  until  at  last  the  crowning 
blessing  of  his  life  was  given. 

Men  prejudiced  against  the  church  would  have 
forborne  their  invidious  criticism  on  the  consoling 
solemnities  of  his  funeral  could  they  have  known, 
as  we  well  knew,  how  he  loved  and  reverenced  the 
ceremonies  and  services  of  the  church.  Tenderly  and 
reverently  do  I  recall  the  days  when,  unable  to  go 
himself  to  church,  he  would  sit  with  his  windows 
raised,  listening,  with  devotional  interest,  to  the  music 

O'  / 

of  the  Mass.  The  beautiful  lilac  bush,  an  old  relic 
in  the  yard,  was  even  sacrificed  because  it  obstructed 
his  view  of  the  church.  Associated  with  the  recollec 
tion  of  the  walk  home  from  church  on  Sunday  is  the 
vision  of  that  beneficent  face  and  that  head,  so  grand 
and  noble,  which  we  could  see  from  the  distant  side 
walk,  and  the  smile  so  gentle  and  sweet  with  which 
he  would  greet  us  as  we  entered,  asking  with  in 
terest  about  the  sermon,  and  listening  with  pleasure, 


FAMILY    TESTIMONY.  49 

and  even  avidity,  to  tlie  prayers  we  would  sometimes 
read  to  him.  The  dearest  and  most  fondly  remember 
ed  smile  of  love  and  encouragement  was  ever  given 
me  when  often,  in  the  early  morning,  I  would  pass 
his  windows  and  look  in,  and  he  knew  I  was  going- 
fasting  to  receive  my  Lord  and  Saviour. 

Many  a  time  has  he  spoken  to  me  on  the  im 
portance  of  shielding  my  children  from  the  danger 
of  losing  their  faith  in  the  Catholic  Church.  Once 
he  charged  me  never  again  to  let  Tommy  visit  cer 
tain  friends  who  had  sneeringly  laughed  at  him  for 
declining  to  be  helped  to  meat  on  Friday.  "Keep 
him  from  such  places,"  he  said;  "for  it  is  cruel  to 
subject  so  young  a  child  to  the  ordeal  of  seeing 
that  which  he  holds  sacred  ridiculed,  and  he  nrisjht 

'  O 

be  tempted  to  be  ashamed  of  his  faith — a  thing  from 
which  you  must  guard  him  until  he  is  older  and 
stronger."  These  friends  were  on  every  other  ac 
count  desirable  and  valued.  Also,  he  enjoined  upon 
me  to  be  ever  firm  in  Avithholding  my  children  from 
the  public  schools.  lie  even  declared  his  intention 
to  himself  prevent  their  attendance  at  them.  "None 
of  these  children  shall  ever  attend  one,"  he  said,  with 
great  emphasis  and  determination. 

Fifteen  years  before  his  death,  on  the  occasion  of 
a  visit  I  made  with  him  to  Washington,  the  wife  of 

O  ' 

a  distinguished  jurist  sought  a  conversation  with  me 
on  religion.  In  telling  father  about  it  afterward, 
I  said  that  she  had  asked  me  to  renew  the  subject, 


50  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

and  I  Lad  refused  on  account  of  the  manner  in 
which  she  had  spoken  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  He 
was  much  agitated,  and,  after  some  reflection,  said, 
"  You  should  have  told  her  that,  as  God  knew  from 
all  eternity  that  she  was  to  he  the  Mother  of  his 
Son,  he  must  have  made  and  preserved  her  pure 
and  perfect  beyond  all  others.'1 

Two  or  three  years  before  his  death,  a  holy  Jesuit 
father,  now  living  in  the  district  (Father  Stonestreet), 
at  my  request  called  to  speak  with  father  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  When  I  saw  him  next,  he  said 
to  me :  "  I  am  old  and  gray-haired  myself,  but  I  sat 
with  reverence  before  your  father,  and  from  his  con 
versation  I  can  only  say  he  is  very  near  the  king 
dom  of  heaven."  Some  time  before  that,  you  remember, 
father  said  to  a  dear  friend  (Sister  M.  Angela)  "  that 
his  family  could  not  be  more  anxious  for  him  to  have 
the  faith  than  he  himself  was  to  possess  it,  and  that 
lie  prayed  for  it  daily."  And  in  the  last  few  weeks 
of  his  life,  how  feelingly  he  spoke  to  ns  of  the  great 
blessing  we  enjoyed  in  having  been  brought  up  in  the 
faith ! 

When  the  end  of  his  earthly  course  drew  nigh, 
and  the  eternal  day  was  dawning  upon  him,  the 
talents  and  wisdom  of  the  natural  mind  became 
illumined  by  the  grace  which  poured  in  upon  his 
soul  as  it  beheld  the  great  vision. 

Divine  truth  at  last  penetrated  that  mind,  so 
grand  in  its  creation,  and  so  perfect  in  its  cultivation, 


FAMILY    TESTIMONY.  51 

and  the  noble  heart,  with  all  its  longings,  was  at 
rest.  The  sacrament,  of  extreme  unction,  which  a 
supernatural  grace  alone  enabled  him  to  compose 
himself  to  receive  in  the  midst  of  agonizing  suffering, 

O  O  O' 

brought  grace  to  him  and  consolation  to  us.  After 
that  dread  night  when  he  seemed  in  the  agonies 

O  O 

of  death,  and  during  the  respite  of  days  that  follow 
ed,  how  we  rejoiced  when  he  said  to  us,  what  he 
had  said  the  day  before,  "  that  he  earnestly  desired 
to  receive  the  sacrament  of  the  Holy  Eucharist " ! 
That  blessing  was  granted  him.  He  received  the 
body  and  blood  of  our  Lord,  and,  in  the  words  of 
the  venerated  Archbishop  who  broke  to  him  the 
bread  of  life,  "  he  received  in  the  fulness  of  faith  and 
in  the  holiest  and  happiest  of  dispositions/' 

In  our  anguish  at  parting  with  him  who  for  so 
long  a  time  had  been  to  us  an  idol  so  loving  and 
beloved,  so  strong  and  so  gentle,  so  bound  up  with 
every  thought  and  feeling  of  our  minds  and  hearts 
that  to  lose  him  was  to  lose  too  much  of  earth- 
even  in  the  anguish  of  that  time,  the  great  blessing 
vouchsafed  forced  from  us  the  prayer  of  thanksgiv 
ing  and  joy:  "O  Lord!  thou  hast  crowned  us  as 
with  a  shield  of  thy  good-will.''  Up  to  the  moment 
of  his  departure  hence,  our  whole  lives  had  been 
bound  to  him  by  all  the  dear  and  tender  ties  of 
earth ;  for  he  had  shared  our  every  joy  and  grief, 
and  his  sympathetic  heart  responded  to  even  the 
slightest  of  our  interests.  Those  ties  strengthened 


52  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

•with  every  year  of  his  prolonged  existence,  and  grew 
more  and  more  sacred  and  tender,  until  at  last  it 
seemed  almost  impossible  to  live  without  him,  and 
terrible  to  see  him  die. 

The  glorious  sunset,  the  magnificently  illuminated 
clouds  and  sky,  which,  closing  a  day  of  gloom  and 
rain,  greeted  our  eyes  as  we  lifted  them  to  heaven 
after  leaving  him  dead,  typify  to  my  mind  and  heart 
the  glory  of  his  soul,  which  had  so  recently  passed 
through  a  season  of  gloom,  and  suffering,  and  sorrow. 

The  blessed  hope  of  a  reunion  in  the  home  of  the 
redeemed  is  our  infinite  consolation.  Thanksgiving 

to  God  that  he  gave  us   so   crand  and  s;ood  a  father. 

~  ~  o 

that  he  so  singularly  blest  him  throughout  life,  and 
that  he  bestowed  upon  him  the  faith  which  will 
crown  him  with  everlasting  joy  and  glory,  will  ever 
continue  to  be  our  prayer. 

I  am  your  very  affectionate  sister, 

ELLE:N"  EWING  SHERMAN. 


LANCASTER,  Onio,  Nov.  24,  1872. 
MKS.  E.  E.  SHERMAN: 

MY  DEAR  SISTER  :  Your  letter  was  received  and 
read  with  deep  interest  and  satisfaction.  It  is  a 
touching  monument  of  filial  piety,  and  will  serve 
admirably  as  a  preface  to  the .  memorial  volume. 

An   incident   which   occurs    to    me    as    deservino-   of 

o 

place,   but   which    you    have   omitted,    is    the  familiar 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY.  53 

fact  that  for  twenty-five  years  or  more  he  kept 
close  at  hand  and  carried  with  him  in  his  journeys 
the  Thomas  a  Kempis  so  affectionately  presented 
to  him  by  his  good  friend  the  Archbishop;  and 
you  remember  that  Viney  told  us  that  he  was  im 
pressed  with  the  assiduity  with  which  he  used  to 
read  it  during  the  long  nights  of  his  last  years 
while  he  watched  with  and  served  him. 

From  the  difference  in  our  relations  to  him,  you 
cannot  know  as  well  as  I  the  mark  of  crace  and 

O 

predilection  that  he  bore  through  all  his  life  in  the 
elevation  and  purity  of  mind  which  adorned  him, 
even  more  than  the  strength  and  vi^or  of  intellect 

O  O 

for  which   he    was   so   distinguished. 

I  went  into  his  office  as  a  student  in  the  fall  of 
1839,  and  from  that  date  down  to  his  death,  a 
period  of  more  than  thirty  years,  I  was  very  much 
with  him,  in  the  most  intimate  and  confidential 
relations,  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  his  political, 
professional,  and  social  life ;  and  I  can  say  with  con 
fidence  that  never,  in  my  whole  life,  did  I  hear 
from  his  lips  a  profane  or  irreverent  word.  All 
that  I  ever  saw  or  knew  of  him  left  the  reverent 
conviction  that  not  his  words  only,  but  his  very 
thoughts,  might  be  photographed  and  read  without 
impeachment  of  his  observance  of  every  known  trust 
or  duty,  and  without  confusion  in  the  presence  of 
the  purest  and  best  among  men. 

I   specially  desire   to   record   my  testimony  ^to   some 

7 


54  FAMILY     TESTIMONY. 

of  tbe  interesting  events  of  the  last  days  of  our 
honored  father,  and  gladly  avail  myself  of  your 
offer  to  make  place  for  it  in  the  memorial.  To  this 
end,  I  give  you  the  enclosed  letter,  written  when 
these  events  were  just  passed,  and  the  scenes  and 
language  were  fresh  in  niy  memory.  I  *also  send  a 
copy  of  my  memorandum  of  an  interesting  date. 
As  ever,  my  dear  sister, 

Your  affectionate  brother, 

P.    B.    EWESTG. 


The  following  is  a  portion  of  the  letter  to  which 
my  brother  refers,  and  which  was  written  to  Mrs. 
M.  M.  Plielan,  then  at  Notre  Dame,  Ind. : 

LANCASTER,  OHIO,  Nov.  2,  1871. 

MY  DEAK :  1  have  much  more  to  say  to 

you  on  the  subject  of  the  last  days  of  dear  father 
than  I  can  find  space  for  in  a  single  letter. 

In  all,  the  grace  and  good  providence  of  Almighty 
God  were  manifested  in  disposing  and  preparing  his 
mind  and  heart  for  the  supreme  event,  as  fruit  is 
ripened  and  made  perfect  by  the  kindly  rays  of  the 
sun. 

You  know  how,  in  the  early  missionary  days,  his 
home  was  always  open  to  the  Catholic  rpriests,  many 
of  whom  were  entertained  by  him  for  weeks  and 
even  months  together,  and  always  as  most  valued 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY.  OO 

friends   and    welcome    guests.      For   weeks    "before    his 
death  his  mind  was   dwelling  on    those  old   times  and 

o 

his   association  with  those  early  priests;  and,  while  we 
were  corresponding  with  the  Archbishop,  and  anxious 
ly   looking    to    him    as   the   one    whose   hands    would 
lead  his  last  steps  into  the  ark,  good   Father  Dominic 
(almost    the    sole    survivor   of    those    old    associates), 
coming     from    his    distant     home,     presented     himself 
uninvited  and  unexpected,  but  a  most  welcome  visitor. 
Reaching   Lancaster   on   the  IStb,    without    seeing  any 
one,  he  went  directly  to  father's  room,  and,  finding  him 
alone,  had  a   long  and  satisfactory  interview  with  him 
on   the   subject  of  religion.     He  spent  that  evening  at 
our    house,  and    said  that  he  was    so    well  assured    of 
father's   faith    and   disposition    that,  if  he   were  dying, 
he  would   have   no    doubt    or   hesitation    about   giving 
him    absolution. 

We  had  just  retired  for  the  night,  when  we  were 
startled  by  a  message  to  the  effect  that  father  had 
a  severe  chill ;  and  we  were  soon  assembled  to  find 
him  in  a  fever,  and  in  such  distress  that  he  constant 
ly  rose  to  his  feet,  and-,  supporting  himself  for  a  mo 
ment  with  assistance,  sank  to  his  chair  to  rise  again 
the  next  minute,  and  unable  or  unwilling  to  take 
the  medicine  prescribed  for  the  emergency. 

Father  Dominic  addressed  him  a  few  words,  tell 
ing  him  to  prepare  his  mind  and  heart  by  acts  of 
faith  and  contrition,  while  he  gave  him  absolution ; 
and,  receiving  his  assent,  this  was  done.  Then,  say- 


56  FAMILY     TESTIMONY. 

ing  a  few  words  about  extreme  unction,  lie  proceeded 
to  the  administration  of  that  sacrament  also.  Dur 
ing  this  time,  father  remained  ]  quietly  seated  in  his 
chair,  reverential  and  devout.  After  some  prayers, 
Father  Dominic  left  him,  as  he  had  grown  easier,  and 
it  was  probable  that  he  would  survive  the  night. 

The  next  day,  Father  Dominic  visited  him,  and, 
among  other  things,  he  said  to  him,  in  my  presence 
and  that  of  other  members  of  the  family:  "I  would 
bo  glad  to  administer  to  you  the  Blessed  Sacrament, 
if  you  were  now  able  to  receive  it,"  to  which  he 
responded :  "  I  desire  it,  I  ardently  desire  it ;  but  I 
am  not  now  able."  (Fattier  meant  that  lie  ivas  not 
able  to  make  the  full  and  minute  confession  which 
he  thought  must  precede  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Eucharist. — E.  E.  S.)  The  day  after,  Father  Dominic 
hoped  to  find  him  in  better  condition,  but  it  was 
still  deferred ;  and  the  Archbishop  came  in  the  even 
ing,  but  he  did  not  see  father  until  the  following  day, 
which  was  Saturday.  Then,  taking  the  Host  in  his 
hands,  the  Archbishop,  accompanied  by  Father  Domi 
nic,  came  to  his  bedside,  and,  in  a  touching  and 
effective  manner,  prepared  him  for  the  crowning  glory 
of  his  life,  and  administered  the  holy  viaticum ; 
received  by  him,  in  the  language  of  the  Archbishop, 
"  in  the  fulness  of  the  faith,  and  with  marks  of  the 
utmost  reverence  and  devotion." 

I  cannot  express  the  feelings  of  my  heart  at  this 
solemn  and  affecting  hour.  You  know  how  my 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY.  57 

father  was  beloved  and  venerated,  and  how  he  was 
more  than  worthy  of  all  the  love  and  veneration  that 
my  poor  heart  can  hold. 


Below  I  <ri  ve  extracts  from  the  memorandum : 

O 

Oct.  19.  1871.— "About  ten  o'clock  this  morn 
ing,  father  called  me  to  his  side  (Hugh  and  Maria 
being  also  present),  and  said:  'I  wish  you  to  pay 
out  of  my  estate  a  gift  donatis  causa  mortis  of  one 
thousand  dollars  to  the  Catholic  clergy  of  the  diocese 
of  Cincinnati,  in  recognition  of  their  valuable  and  ap 
preciated  aid,  by  counsel,  instruction,  and  example,  in 
the  right  education  and  rearing  of  my  children.  I 
hardly  know  how  to  designate  the  proper  benefi 
ciaries  of  this  gift ;  but  you  may  place  it  in  the 
hands  of  Archbishop  Purcell,  to  be  disposed  of  at 
his  good  discretion.' ': 

(This  was  tlie  only  bequest  that  father  made  in  con 
templation  of  death,  except  that  he  made  provision  for 
an  annuity,  in  the  hands  of  Philemon,  for  a  servant 
who  had  been  faithful  through  years  /  later  in  the  day, 
when  giving  some  further  instructions,  he  suggested 
that  his  horses  and  carriage  should  be  given  to  the 
members  of  the  family  in  ivhose  care  and  use  they 
then  were. — E.  E.  >$'.) 

"At  a  few  minutes  before  six  P.M.,  father  again 
called  me,  and  said  :  '  I  wish  to  give  you  some 


00  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

directions  as  to  my  funeral.  I  cannot  expect  to 
survive  more  than  a  few  clays,  perliaps  a  week,  may 
be  not  twenty-four  Lours.  I  wish  that  my  funeral 
l>e  plain  and  simple ;  that  I  be  buried  by  the  side 
of  your  mother,  and  have  a  monument  over  my 
i^rave  like  hers  in  design,  but  larger  and  with  suit- 

0  o    /  o 

able   inscriptions.'      After   a   pause,  he    said,    '  I   think 

1  leave    my    family    and    affairs    in   good    condition.' 
To    this    I    made    some   suitable   reply.      After   some 
interval,    he    said :    '  And    then,    Ellen   should   not   la 
ment    for   me.      I    have   been   already    spared   to   my 
family   for   a   term   long   exceeding   that   that   belongs 
to  humanity,  though   she   will  no   doubt  feel  my  loss 
more  than  if  I  had  died  twenty  years  ago.' 

"  After  some  period  of  reflection,  with  tears  coming 
to  his  eyes,  he  fell  off  into  a  doze,  on  rousing  from 
which  he  was  assisted  to  the  bed. 

P.  B.  EWIXG. 
"P.S. — He  never  rose  from  his  bed  again. 

P.  B.  E." 


I        f~«-     _i,     " 


Autographic  Inscription  prepared  ly  Father,  for  Motliei's  Monument. 


'to 

^^ 

tr/rt>r 

\/c  /f2o 

'  0  ^      F6^. 

^v^^.      &o^jyU    /Ji>^^    2^        / 


c\ 


tfj 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY.  0 1 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  May  20,  1873. 
MY  DEAE  SISTER:    I   give  below  some  extracts  from 

O 

my  journal  relating  to  father's  formal  reception  into 
the  church.  All  the  evidence  that  came  to  my  atten 
tion  in  his  conversation  and  action  since  the  year 
1851,  of  his  belief  in  and  love  and  reverence  for  the 
church,  would  fill  a  volume.  His  delay  in  entering 
the  visible  church  was  due  alone  to  scrupulosity ; 
fear  of  the  opinion  of  the  world  had  no  share  in  it, 
for  it  is  well  known  that  he  took  pleasure  in  braving 
that  opinion  when  it  ran  counter  to  truth.  Shortly 
after  my  return  from  Europe,  some  one  in  our  pre 
sence  opposed  the  doctrine  of  the  infallibility  of  the 
Pope ;  when  father  said :  "  It  is  a  logical  necessity, 
and  the  trouble  is  not  in  believing,  but  in  disbeliev 
ing  it."  His  familiarity  with  sacred  history  and  the 
writings  of  eminent  churchmen  was  begun  early  and 
continued  through  life.  When  driving  out  one  day 
(Oct.  5,  1853),  he  said  to  me :  "  When  I  was  six 
years  old — that  is,  in  my  sixth  winter — I  read  the 
Bible  through  from  beginning  to  end.  I  was  so 
young  that  I  thought  the  four  Gospels  related  to  four 
different  advents  of  Christ ;  and  I  was  much  dis 
appointed  when,  on  asking  father,  he  told  me  that 
they  all  referred  to  the  same  advent."  Below  are 
my  later  extracts. 

Your  loving  brother, 

HUGH  EWIXG. 


G2  FAMILY    TESTIMONY 

EXTKACTS. 

Oct.  16,  Monday. — He  said  in  the  evening  to  me  : 
"The  young  man  is  fortunate  and  happy  who  has 
Catholic  faith,  it  is  so  firm  and  living.  lie  may  err, 
but,  if  his  faith  remain  unshaken,  he  will  come  back. 
The  priests  of  the  church  alone  can  guide  young 
men." 

19th,  Thursday.— Father  has  had  a  chill;  in  great 
distress.  Father  Dominic  gave  him  absolution  and 
extreme  unction,  and  said  prayers,  in  which  we  all 
joined.  He  consented  to  and  received  the  sacrament 
with  great  quiet  and  attention,  suppressing  his  pre 
vious  and  after-movements,  as  rising,  etc.  This  after 
noon,  Father  Dominic  had  another  interview.  Father 
responded  firmly  and  decidedly  that  he  was  sorry 
for  his  sins ;  that  he  had  full  and  entire  faith  in  all 
the  articles  of  faith ;  and,  in  response  to  Father  Domi 
nic's  remark  that  he  wished  he  could  receive  holy 
communion,  he  said:  "I  wish  I  could,  I  earnestly  de 
sire  to  do  so." 

21st,  Saturday. — At  3.20  P.M.  the  Archbishop 
came  over,  dressed  in  his  cassock,  cross,  etc.,  with  the 
Blessed  Sacrament;  told  father  he  had  brought  him 
the  crowning  blessing  of  his  life — the  body  and  blood, 
soul  and  divinity,  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that,  in  his  condi 
tion,  he  would  not  require  confession ;  asked  if  he  had 
a  hearty  sorrow  for  all  the  sins  of  his  life,  a  firm 
faith  in  the  church,  and  hope  in  the  Redeemer.,  and 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY. 


63 


love  of  God.  He  answered,  "  I  can  truly  say  I  have." 
He  then  received  absolution  and  Holy  Communion 
with  all  the  reverence  and  devotion  of  one  brought 
up  in  the  church.  "  I  never  saw  any  one  in  my 
life  receive  with  more  evidences  of  devotion"  (Arch 
bishop).  The  Archbishop  then  advised  and  prayed  with 
him.  Father  Dominic  and  Eose  present,  others  kneel 
ing  outside.  He  has  been  serene  and  happy  since. 

26th,  Thursday. — Father  died  at  ten  minutes  before 
four  o'clock  this  afternoon,  after  receiving  the  last 
benediction,  so  calmly  that  for  some  minutes  it  was 
not  perceptible.  A  beautiful  sunset. 


LANCASTER,  OHIO,  June    2,8,    1873. 

DEAE :  Yours  of  24th  inst.  is  at  hand.  I  will 
ingly  unite  my  evidence  with  that  of  others  who 
had  the  same  opportunity  of  knowing  that  your  good 
father  died  a  Christian  death  and  a  sincere  member 
of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  Saturday  preceding  his  death,  and  before  the 
visit  of  Archbishop  Purcell,  who  gave  him  the  sacrament, 
I  was  alone  in  attendance  on  him  for  some  time.  He 
was  restless  and  anxious  in  his  manner,  and  seemed 
uncomfortable  and  unhappy.  He  complained  of  no 
pain,  but  could  not  rest,  and  I  could  do  nothing  to 
relieve  him.  After  observing  him  closely  for  awhile,  I 
became  satisfied  he  wanted  to  see  some  one,  and  I 


64  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

was  equally  satisfied,  for  different  reasons,  that  the 
person  he  wanted  was  the  Priest.  I  left  the  room  to 
ask  some  one  to  send  for  him,  and  at  the  hall  door  I 
met  Philemon,  and  told  him  what  I  thought.  He  said 
that  Archbishop  Purcell  had  arrived,  and  he  would  bring 
him  over  at  once,  which  he  did.  When  I  returned 
to  your  father's  bedside  after  the  Archbishop  had  given 
him  the  sacrament,  I  was  struck  with  the  change.  He 
lay  quiet  and  peaceful,  nothing  but  calm  contentment 
in  his  expression.  I  proposed  after  awhile  that  he 
should  try  and  sleep,  and  arranged  the  pillows  for 
him.  He  smiled  and  made  some  kind  remark,  then 
sank  into  a  quiet  sleep  of  over  two  hours.  I  know 
how  much  importance  you  attach  to  your  own  form 
of  faith,  and  I  have  often  wished  that  you,  his  chil 
dren,  could  have  seen  as  I  did  how  full  of  belief 
he  was,  and  how  much  comfort  it  o-ave  him  to  be  re- 

7  O 

ceived  into  your  communion.  I  can  never  forget  that 
day  any  more  than  I  can  forget  him  and  all  his 
goodness. 

Affectionately, 

C.  STEELE. 


LANCASTER,  OHIO,  May  17,  1873. 

MY  DEAR  SISTER  :  I  enclose  for  the  purposes  of  your 
memorial  a  lengthy  extract  from  a  letter  to  a  friend,  in 
which  I  have  detailed  the  circumstances  attending  the 
last  days  of  our  beloved  father,  especially  those  relating 


- 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY.  65 

to  his  reception  in  faith  and  love  of  the  adorable  Sacra 
ment  of  the  Eucharist. 

Ever  your  affectionate  sister, 

MARIA  EWIXG  STEELE, 


"When  Father  Dominic  suggested  to  him  on  Friday 
to  make  his  confession  in  preparation  for  receiving  the 
Blessed  Eucharist,  he  was  suffering  from  great  pain  and 
exhaustion,  and  said  he  was  not  able  to  "commence  it.'1 
When,  however,  the  Archbishop  arrived  on  Saturday,  he 
went  to  father's  room  carrying  with  him  the  holy  viati 
cum.  Father  evinced  the  greatest  comfort  and  consola- 

O 

tion  at  seeing  the  Archbishop,  who,  approaching  his  bed 
side,  said,  "Mr.  Ewing1,  I  have  come  to  bring;  you  the 

G '  O       •/ 

crowning;  blessing;  of  vour  life — the  body  and   blood  of 

O  O  «/'  «/ 

your  divine  Redeemer.  I  know  that  you  are  no\v  too  ill 
to  make  a  regular  confession,  but,  if  you  can  say  to  me  in 
sincerity  and  truth  that  you  believe  in  all  the  doctrines 
of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  and  that  you  repent  of 
all  the  sins  of  your  past  life,  and  beg  pardon  of  God 
for  them — say  this  to  me  in  God's  holy  presence,  and 
that  is  all  that  will  be  necessary  in  your  feeble  state 
before  giving  you  the  bread  of  life."  Father  responded 
fervently  and  solemnly,  "  All  that  I  can  say  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  and  I  will  be  most  thankful  to  receive 
from  you  the  holy  Host."  During  the  entire  day  pre 
ceding  the  Archbishop's  visit,  which  was  late  in  the 
afternoon,  the  Colonel,  who  was  watching  with  father, 


66  FAMILY     TESTIMONY. 

was  distressed  by  liis  restlessness  and  disquiet,  wliicli 
was  more  mental  than  physical,  anxious  evidently  for 
the  presence  of  some  one  ;  for,  when  questioned  as  to  liis 
physical  wants,  there  was  nothing  he  wished  clone  for 
him.  But  from  the  moment  of  the  Archbishop's  visit, 
and  the  reception  of  the  Sacrament,  he  was  in  a  state 
of  perfect  calm  and  quiet,  and  after  a  time  sank  into  a 
sweet  and  restful  sleep  that  seemed  so  like  the  sleep  of 
health  and  ease  that  we  found  our  longing  hearts  hop 
ing  that  a  respite  would  be  granted,  and  that  dear  and 
gentle  life  prolonged  yet  a  little  while.  But  "  his  eyes 
had  seen  his  salvation,  and  he  was  ready  to  depart  in 
peace." 


HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES,  i 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C,,  July  15,  1873.  ) 

DEAREST  ELLEX  :  General  Hugli  Ewing  has  requested 
me  to  contribute  a  letter  for  the  personal  memorial  of 
your  father,  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  which  you  are 
preparing  for  publication.  I  find  it  difficult  to  write 
anything  concise  and  short  that  approaches  justice  to  the 
subject.  I  cannot  well  separate  your  father's  memory 
from  public  events,  when  manifesting  my  sense  of  grati 
tude  and  praise  of  him,  and  simple  eulogy  sounds  bare 
when  speaking  of  an  historic  character.  Hugh  asked 
me  to  allude  to  the  fact  that  your  father  died  in  the 
Catholic  Church.  It  struck  me  as  something  out  of  iny 
line  entirely ;  for  the  fact  was  evidenced  at  the  time, 


FAMILY     TESTIMONY.  07 

and  needs  no  confirmation  from  me.  With  that  event 
others  can  deal  fully,  truthfully,  and  naturally,  but  it 
would  sit  awkwardly  on  my  pen. 

His  life  extending  from  1789  to  1871,  through  prob 
ably  the  most  active  period  of  the  world's  history, 
beginning  when  Ohio  was  a  wilderness,  sharing  in  the 
labor  of  clearing  her  forests,  opening  her  mines,  and 
establishing  the  schools  and  colleges  that  no\v  adorn  her, 
then  transferred  to  a  higher  sphere,  and  sharing  in  the 
politics  and  government  of  a  great  nation,  his  biography 
assumes  the  rank  of  history.  In  the  world  at  large  the 
fame  of  Thomas  Ewin^  was  secure  when  transferred 

O 

from  Ohio  to  the  United  States  Senate  ;  he  at  once  took 
first  rank  among  the  statesmen  of  that  most  brilliant 
period,  and  was  second  to  none  as  a  lawyer  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  Whoever  assumes 
the  task  of  biographer  must  show  how,  by  industry 
Avell  directed,  he  had  gathered  his  immense  fund  of 
facts,  arranged  them  in  logical  order,  clothed  them  in 

'  CD  O  ' 

pure  language,  and  announced  them  with  that  earnest 
ness  and  force  which  characterized  his  speeches  and 
writings.  We,  however,  who  enjoyed  a  more  intimate 
relatior,  can  recall  his  natural  love  for  the  c;ood  and 

/  O 

beautiful ;  how  he  would  recite  from  Homer  and  Virgil, 
from  Addison  and  Scott,  with  innumerable  pieces  of  fugi 
tive  poetry  that  from  time  to  time  attracted  his  notice, 
but  never  escaped  his  memory.  We  recall  also  his  know 
ledge  of  pure  mathematics,  and  how  utterly  impossible 
it  was  to  impose  on  him  by  partial  or  imperfect  demon- 


f>8  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

stration,  and  how  quickly  he  would  detect  any  explana 
tion  of  an  event  not  consistent  with  pure  truth  and  logic. 

My  personal  recollections  of  him  date  back  to  a  very 
early  period,  when  I  was  a  mere  child  and  he  a  man 
in  full  career  of  life. 

On  my  way  to  West  Point,  in  1S3G,  l>y  his  direction 
I  came  to  "Washington,  where  he  was  at  the  time  a 

O  / 

Senator  from  Ohio.  I  found  him  boarding  with  Mrs. 
Hil],  who  had  a  son  at  West  Point.  The  mess  of  which 
he  was  a  member  consisted  of  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
men  of  the  day,  and  I  now  recall  their  wit  and  humor, 
in  which  he  always  led  off,  and  which  was  in  marked 
contrast  to  the  bitter  political  wrangles  that  prevailed 
then  in  Congress  and  in  the  press.  One  day,  in  walking 
along  Pennsylvania  Avenue,  we  overtook  Hon.  Samuel 
L.  Southard,  to  whom  he  introduced  me  as  his  young 
Avard  en  route  to  West  Point.  Mr.  Southard  said, 
*'  Young  man,  I  can  only  say  to  you,  as  I  used  to  say 
to  others  when  I  was  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  be  indus 
trious  and  obedient,  and  you  have  nothing  to  fear." 

I  was  in  correspondence  with  Mr.  Ewing  throughout 
the  Civil  war.  He  took  the  most  intense  interest  in 
every  event,  and  at  almost  every  stage  of  its  existence 
he  wrote  encouraging  me  to  the  boldest  action,  yet  look 
ing  to  the  success  of  our  arms  and  cause  without 
imperilling  the  principles  of  the  Government  itself,  in 
which  he  had  the  full  faith  he  had  in  natural  law. 
To  him.  extreme  measures  were  only  justified  to  produce 
peace,  and  ^that  peace  should  leave  the  National  and 


FAMILY    TESTIMONY.  G  J 

State  Governments,  with  all  their  rights  and  limits  as 

O 

defined  by  the  Constitution,  unimpaired  and  unchanged. 
As  the  war  approached  its  conclusion,  I  could  see  from 
the  tone  of  his  letters  his  fears  and  apprehensions  on 
this  point,  and  that  the  success  of  arms  might  give  a  bias 
to  the  people  at  large,  and  so  increase  the  power  of 
the  National  Government  as  to  take  from  the  State  and 
local  governments  the  ability  to  manage  successfully 
the  matters  that  should  rightfully  be  left  to  them.  In 
dealing  with  the  last  stage  of  his  public  career,  none 
l)ii t  a  great  constitutional  lawyer  can  do  justice  to  his 
memory,  and  therefore  I  trust  that  will  fall  into  com 
petent  hands. 

In  private  life,  he  was  eminently  social,  full  of  humor 
and  wit,  and  encouraging  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the 
youns;.  To  all  connected  with  him  he  was  full  of 

•/  «^ 

sympathy,  and  gave  assistance   and  advice   to  all   who 
applied.     As  an  example  to  others,  your  father's  memoir 
will  be  almost  a  perfect  model,  and,  as  a  part  of  history, 
his  own  is  an  epitome  of  that  of  the  country  itself. 
Affectionately, 

W.  T.  SHERMAN, 

General* 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  llth  June,  IS 73. 

MY  DEAR  SISTER  :  Having  read  with  great  interest 
Mr.  Huntington's  account  of  his  journey  from  the 
faith  in  which  he  had  been  educated,  through  the  dif- 


<0  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

fereut  Christian  denominations,  in  which  he  paused  for 
a  time,  to  the  Catholic  Church,  where  his  soul  found 
the  food  and  rest  it  was  seeking,  I  spoke  of  it  to 
father,  and  he  directed  me  to  leave  it  on  his  table 
that  he  might  read  it.  A  day  or  two  after,  he  re 
turned  the  book  to  me,  saying  that  he  was  much 
pleased  with  it,  but  that  the  author  had  omitted  a 
very  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  church  that  he 
should  have  given,  which  he  then  stated  at  some 
length.  I  was  so  much  impressed  with  this  conver 
sation  that  I  requested  father  to  give  me  the  sub 
stance  of  it  in  writing,  saying  that  I  wished  to  pre 
serve  it;  for  I  wanted  to  keep,  in  his  own  hand  and 
language,  the  tribute  of  respect  which  he  had  paid 
to  the  devotions  the  church  has  established  in  ho 
nor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin.  The  following  day,  he 
handed  me  a  letter  dated  the  3d  of  May,  1870,  giv 
ing  in  brief  the  proposition  he  had  laid  down  and 
discussed  the  day  before,  i.e.,  that  "  we  owe  to  the 
Catholic  Church  the  institution  of  families  and  the 
elevated  social  condition  of  woman."  I  now  give  this 
letter  to  you  as  my  contribution  to  the  memorial  you 
are  preparing  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  his  virtuous 
life  and  the  blessing  that  crowned  its  close. 

O 

Through  life  I  have  gathered  father's  opinions  on 
religious  questions  solely  from  expressions  that  cur 
rent  events  called  out.  In  all  these,  my  memory 
from  my  earliest  childhood  to  the  last  clay  of  his 
life  records  DO  word  or  act  of  his  in  disparagement  of 


FAMILY    TESTIMONY.  71 


the  church  or  her  dogma?.  He  often  had  for  her 
words  of  praise,  but  never  one  of  censure.  Those 
who  have  been  of  his  household  have  ever  heard 
him  speak  in  commendation  of  her  great  wisdom, 
her  teachings,  her  practices,  and  her  priests. 

Of  the  incidents  of  father's  last  days  there  is  but 
little  that  I  can  give  you  except  what  you  already 
have  from  other  members  of  the  family ;  but  there  is 
one  event  of  which  I  should  speak,  although  others 
will  doubtless  o;ive  it.  During  the  last  ten  days  of 

O  O  v 

his  life,  I  watched  at  his  bedside  and  served  him 
with  an  anxious  heart,  though  my  hands  were  un 
skilful  and  my  service  of  little  value  ;  and  it  chanced 
that  a  servant  and  I  were  alone  with  him  for  a 
short  time  in  the  afternoon  of  the  21st  of  October, 
when  Archbishop  Purcell  entered  his  room  bearing 
with  him  the  Holy  Eucharist.  I  could  not  be  present 
at  the  confession  which  I  knew  must  precede  the 
reception  of  this  sacrament,  and  I  therefore  went  out 
and  stood  near  by,  where  I  was  within  call,  and 
could  hear  the  murmur  of  voices  in  the  room,  but 
could  not  distinguish  words.  After  a  short  time  had 
elapsed,  I  heard  the  Archbishop,  in  a  distinct  tone 
of  voice,  pronouncing  absolution,  when  I  summoned 
Philemon  and  other  members  of  the  family  from  an 
adjoining  room  where  they  were  waiting,  and,  going 

with  them  to  the  door  of  father's  room,  and  kneeling. 

v 

we  heard  the  Archbishop  pronouncing  the  usual 
formula,  "The  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  pre- 


72  FAMILY    TESTIMONY. 

serve  thy  soul  unto  life  everlasting,"  as  father  received 
the  Blessed  Sacrament — the  long  hoped-for,  prayed-for 
blessing  that  mother  taught  us  in  infancy  to  ask. 

I  cannot  refrain  from  giving  you  another  incident 
which  has  since  become  doubly  dear  to  me,  and  will 
show  how  his  kind  heart  ahvavs  went  out  to  his 

«/ 

children,  as  he  thought  of  us  and  of  our  children 
even  to  the  last.  It  wns  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
25th  of  October,  the  day  before  he  died,  as  I  sat  by 
his  bedside  holding  his  pale  hand  in  both  of  mine, 
and,  looking  into  his  face,  thought  that  he  was  sleep 
ing,  that  he  said  to  me,  "How  is  my  little  friend?" 
I  was  half  persuaded  that  he  was  dreaming.  Still,  I 
asked  him  what  he  meant,  when  he  turned  his  eyes 
upon  me,  and  said,  "  How  is  my  little  friend  in  Wash 
ington?"  He  was  thinking  of  his  youngest  grandchild, 
my  little  Lizzie,  who  had  not  half  as  many  days  of 
life  as  he  had  years.  I  answered  that  she  was 
"  flourishing,"  when  he  said,  "  Not  like  the  green  bay- 
tree,  for  she  is  yoimo:  and  innocent."  She  was  inno- 

*/  O 

cent  and  pure,  and  will  ever  be ;  for,  although  she 
was  the  last  concerning  whom  he  asked  on  earth, 
she  was  the  first  to  follow  him  to  heaven.  Father 
had  no  favorite  child.  Through  his  Ions;  life  his 

O  O 

solicitude  was  strong,  and  he  was  ever  watchful 
and  wise  in  his  care  for  all  of  us;  from  Philemon 
to  my  little  daughter,  the  first  and  last  of  his  chil 
dren,  all  were  embraced  in  his  thoughtful  care  even 

'  O 

to  the  last  day  of  his  life. 


FAMILY    TESTIMONY.  73 

As  father's  advice  determined  the  question  as  to 
the  kind  of  material  to  be  used  in  building  the  main 
altar  in  our  church  at  Lancaster,  it  may  not  be  out 
of  place  for  me  to  record  here  the  interest  he  took 
in  the  matter  when  it  was  first  under  discussion.  It 
had  been  su^ested  that  the  altar  should  be  built, 

oo 

not  of  wood  or  marble,  as  was  the  custom  in  our 
churches,  but  of  the  rich  brown  sandstone  from  the 
quarries  near  Lancaster.  It  was  urged  that,  when 
an  altar  was  raised  from  which  to  offer  the  solemn 
sacrifice  of  the  Mass,  it  should  be  built  of  the  rock 
that  nature  furnished  to  the  hand  of  the  builder ; 
and  that  a  massive  altar  richer  in  ornamentation 
could  be  built  of  our  sandstone  than  we  could  pos 
sibly  make  of  wood  or  marble.  This  suggestion  did 
not  meet  with  favor  from  any  one  until  it  was  pre 
sented  to  father.  He  approved  it  warmly,  and  said 
that  he  would  give  for  this  purpose  the  "  Chestnut- 
tree  rock1'  on  his  farm — a  huge  square  block  of  stone 
that  had  in  a  remote  age  been  torn  from  its  place  in 
the  ridge  beyond  by  some  giant  force  in  nature,  and 
placed  altar-like  on  the  crest  of  a  hill  that  stood  out 
from  its  neighbors,  and  overlooked  the  valley  for  miles 
on  either  hand ;  and  he  said  that  doubtless  it  had 
been  set  apart  from  the  ledge  more  years  than  he 
could  tell  to  harden  and  bleach  for  this  purpose. 
This  was  years  before  we,  his  children,  thought  to 
raise  this  altar  to  the  honor  of  God  and  to  the  memory 
of  father  and  mother ;  hut  now  that  they  have  gone 


7-1  FA  JULY     TESTIMONY. 

to  rest  with  the  benediction  of  the  church,  this  majestic 
altar — its  table,  broad  and  deep,  of  solid  rock,  on  which 
:six  monolithic  pillars  rest,  supporting  the  rich  cornice 
and  canopy  of  stone  that  overhangs  the  place  of  sacri 
fice,  and  bearing  on  its  front  in  letters  of  bronze  the  dedica 
tion,  "Gloria  Dei'" — will  be  built  by  his  children  from  the 
rock  that  father  gave,  and  it  will  for  generations  yet  to 
come  be  an  altar  of  sacrifice,  and,  speaking  from  the 
past,  it  will  perpetuate,  among  the  descendants  of  those 
who  knew  and  honored  them  in  this  life,  the  virtues  of 
two  of  God's  servants  who  through  life  obeyed  his  law. 

o  «/ 

I  am,  my  dear  sister, 

Your  lovino-  brother, 

O 

CHARLES  EWIXG. 
To  MRS.  ELLEX  EWIXG  SIIEEMAX, 

>YASHIXGTOX,  D.  C. 


"  The  unanimous  praise  of  the  good,  the  unbought 
voice  of  those  w/io  can  well  discriminate  as  to 
s  u  rpass  ing  v  irtue* 


LETTERS  AXD  TELEGRAMS  FROM  FRIENDS; 


CINCINNATI,  Oct.  24,  1871. 

DEAR  GENERAL  :  I  have  just  received  yours  of  the  23il. 
I  must  s;o  to  Columbus  to-morrow  to  aro-ue  before  the 

o  o 

Supreme  Court  the  constitutionality  of  the  law  authoriz 
ing  Cincinnati  to  subscribe  $10,000,000  to  the  Southern 
Railway — an  engagement  I  cannot  postpone  or  forego. 
No  private  business  or  ordinary  professional  engagement 
would  prevent  my  going  to  Lancaster  at  once.  So  soon 
as  that  imperative  duty  is  performed,  I  will  hasten  to 
Lancaster  in  the  hope  of  once  more  seeing  your  father 
in  life,  or,  if  too  late  for  that,  at  least  to  pay  the  last 
tribute  of  affection  and  respect  to  him,  my  guide  and 
friend  through  all  my  professional  life. 
Sincerely  yours, 

HENRY  STANBEUY. 
GENL.  TIIOS.  E\VING,  JR. 


ATHENS,  Omo,  Oct.  27,  1871. 
DEAR   SIR  :    Your   telegram,  freighted  with  the  sail 

O  O 

intelligence  of  the  death  of  Mr.  E \ving,  Ohio's  noblest 
son,  was  duly  received  and  the  message  passed  round 
among  his  numerous  friends  last  evening  as  far  as  prac- 


7o  LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS. 

ticable.  This  morning,  our  citizens  are  all  advised  of 
this  public  bereavement,  and  our  place  will  be  numer 
ously  represented  at  the  funeral  to-morrow. 

Among  others,  I  called  on  General  Brown  and  Judge 
A.  G.  Brown  last  evening.      The  General  will   not  be 

O 

able  to  go  up  to  the  funeral,  but  he  spoke  of  Mr.  Ewing's 
age,  that,  if  he  had  been  spared  till  the  28th  of  next 
December,  he  would  have  completed  his  82d  year,  and 
of  his  own  age,  that  on  the  first  of  the  same  month 
he  will  be  8G.  Thev  were  attached  friends  throughout 

*j  O 

their  lives,  and  among  the  noblest  specimens  of  humanity 
that  we  have  known. 

I  have  an  autograph  letter  of  his  of  August  30,  1871, 
which  will  be  preserved  most  sacredly  as  a  precious  relic 
of  the  great  man,  so  long  and  favorably  known,  and 
whom  I  could  not  doubt  was  ever  my  sincere  friend. 
Our  entire  community  will  sympathize  with  yours  and 
the  bereaved  family  on  this  occasion. 

Respectfully, 

A.  B.  WALKER. 

HON.  H.  II.  HUNTER. 


QUINCY,  ILLINOIS,  Oct.  27,  1871. 

MY  DEAR  GENERAL:  Your  telegram  announcing  the 
death  of  our  distinguished  friend,  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing, 
reached  me,  in  the  night,  last  night.  Accept  my  thanks 
for  your  kind  attention. 

I  am  not  surprised,  but  grieved.     I  had  hoped  to  see 


LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS.  79 

him  once  more  before  lie  passed  beyond  the  boundary 
of  time;  but  he  is  gone,  and  the  hope  cannot  now  be 
realized.  His  was  a  long,  useful,  honorable,  and  eminent 
career;  and  I  am  proud  to  claim  him  as  my  countryman 
and  friend.  He  was,  I  believe,  the  last  of  the  great 
senators  who  shed  so  much  lustre  upon  our  country  in 
the  first  half  of  the  present  century. 

He  leaves  behind  him,  in  all  the  land,  no  one  combin 
ing  so  much  of  patriotism,  learning,  wisdom,  and  experi 
ence.  He  was  a  very  remarkable  man,  and  a  great  and 
good  one.  His  name  now  passes  proudly  into  history,  and 
will  live  there  as  long  as  love  of  just  and  good  govern 
ment,  and  admiration  of  great  and  good  qualities  of  our 
kind,  endure. 

It  occasions  me  sincere  regret  that  I  cannot  show  my 
veneration  for  his  character  by  being  present  at  his 
funeral ;  but  court  is  in  session  here,  and  I  am  tied  down 
to  the  trial  of  important  cases,  from  which  I  cannot 
escape. 

Mrs.  Browning  and  Emma  unite  with  me  in  kind  re 
gards  and  sympathy  for  all. 

Most  truly  your  friend, 

O.  II.  BROWNING. 
GEXERAL  "\V.  T.  SIIERMAX, 

Lancaster,  Ohio. 


.  AUGUSTA,  MAINE,  SUNDAY,  Nov.  5,  1871. 
MY  DEAR  COUSIN  :  I  hardly  feel  that  you  can  expect 
or   desire  letters   of  condolence   on   the  death  of  your 


80  LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS. 

father.  Sucli  a  deatli  after  such  a  life  is  not  matter  of 
grief,  but  of  joy.  To  what  a  small  number  of  the  hun 
dreds  of  millions  of  the  human  race  is  so  much  inven 

O 

as  was  given  to  vonr  father  !    Bv  what  a  small  number 

O  »/  */ 

is  so  much  done  ! 

He  was  a  grand  and  massive  man,  almost  without 
peers.  With  no  little  familiarity  and  association  with 
the  leading  men  of  the  day,  I  can  truly  say  that  I  never 
met  one  who  impressed  me  so  profoundly. 

His  memory  is  a  heritage  to  all  his  descendants  of  the 
most  precious  and  inestimable  type.     .     .     . 
Affectionately  your  cousin, 

J.  Gr.  ELAINE. 

To  MRS.  ELLEN  B.  E.  SHERMAN. 


PARIS,  Nov.  20,  18  n. 

DEAR  MRS.  SHERMAN:  Across  the  wide  ocean  conies 
to  my  ears  the  sad  news  that  another  light  has  gone  out, 
that  another  great  man  has  fallen;  and  to  me,  more  than 
all  else,  that  one  who  was  to  me  a  second  father  sleeps 
at  last  beside  her  who  fulfilled  every  day  of  her  life  a 
saint's  mission,  and  who  ever  reaps,  I  doubt  not,  a  saint's 
reward. 

Ever  known  for  his  incorruptible  integrity ;  a  giant  in 
intellect  in  the  days  when  there  were  giants  in  the  land ; 
possessing  in  a  most  marked  degree  the  respect  and  love 
of  all  who  knew  him — at  last,  full  of  years,  he  has  yield 
ed  to  a  power  that  none  can  mock,  and  the  places  that 


LETTERS  AXD  TELEGRAMS  FROM  FRIEXDS.  81 

have  so  lon^  known   him  shall  know  him  no  more  for 

O 

ever.  Had  I  "been  in  the  United  States,  nothing  would 
have  prevented  me  from  being  a  humble  bnt  sincere 
mourner  among  those  who  followed  him  to  his  last  rest 
ing-place. 

I  need  not  say  to  you  how  deeply  I  sympathize  with 
you  in  this  sad  hour ;  for  I  knew  him  as  comparatively 
few  knew  him — at  home,  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  in 
that  sacred  spot  where  men  throw  off  the  mask  they 
are  too  often  compelled  to  wear  in  their  intercourse  with 
the  world  ;  and,  thus  knowing  him,  I  know  your  loss. 

But  as  I  read  of  the  general  expression  of  sympathy 
vrhich  has  gone  up  from  all  parts  of  the  country ;  of 
the  universal  testimony  from  bench,  and  bar,  and  from 
politicians  of  all  parties,  as  to  his  acknowledged  ability 
and  spotless  life,  I  am  consoled,  and  take  courage  for  the 
future  of  my  country — a  country  which,  though  too  often 
bowing  the  knee  to  the  golden  calf,  and  elevating  to 
positions  of  trust  and  honor  men  of  no  intellect  and  of 
no  honest}7,  at  last  over  an  open  grave  is  able  to  dis- 
tin<niish  between  merit  and  charletanism,  between  tinsel 

O  ' 

and  pure  gold.  '  It  is  a  hopeful  sign,  and  goes  far  to 
redeem  its  many  shortcomings. 

Ever  and  sincerely  your  friend, 

WILLIAM  SLADE. 


BUFFALO,  Oct.  31,  1871. 
MRS.  GENERAL  SHERMAX  : 

DEAK  MADAM  :  I  trust  you  will  pardon  the  liberty  I 


82  LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS. 

take  in  expressing  my  sympathy  in  this  your  hour  of 
deep  affliction.  'Tis  said  "  the  sympathy  of  friends  in 
affliction  charms  away  half  the  woe."  If  so,  I  know  you 
will  find  the  cup  less  bitter;  for  your  friends  are  Legion, 
and  your  trust  is  in  God. 

To  me  the  memory  of  your  dear  father  was  like  a 
beacon-light ;  for  away  back  in  my  early  youth,  a  kind 
and  affectionate  father  taught  me  to  love  and  honor  the 
man  who  was  his  youthful  companion  in  the  early  hard 
ships  of  a  Western  life,  viz.,  Thomas  Ewing,  and  whom 
in  my  manhood  I  was  moved  to  admire  and  cherish. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  numerous  kind  letters  found 
among  my  father's  correspondence,  written  in  early  life 
by  your  noble  father,  some  of  which  I  believe  one  of 
my  brothers  has. 

But  I  dare  not  trespass  longer  on  your  kindness.  Ac 
cept,  dear  madam,  my  condolence,  and  believe  me  when 
I  tell  you  that  we  all  deeply  sympathize  with  you  and 
yours  in  this  great  bereavement.  Kind  regards  to  the 
General. 

Very  truly  your  obedient, 

S.  S.  GUTIIRIE. 


From  tJte  Arclibislwp  of  San  J^rancisco. 

SAN  FKANCISCO,  Dec.  3,  1871. 

DEAK  IN  CHRIST,  MRS.  SHERMAN:  I  do  not  send  you 
my  condolence,  but  my  joy.  Death,  it  is  true,  brings  on 
sadness,  especially  the  death  of  our  parents.  At  your 


LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS. 

father's  death,  your  tears  were  no  doubt  accompanied 
with  heavenly  joy. 

It  was  only  to-dav,  having  just  returned  from  blessing 

J  «/  /  O  v 

the  first  Catholic  church  in  Utah  Territory,  that  I  learn 
ed  the  fact  of  your  fathers  entering  the  ark,  the  bosom 
of  his  mother.  God  has  heard  your  long  and  earnest 
prayer.  I  believe  I  also  prayed  for  that  ever  since  1841, 
when  your  dear  mother  gave  me  the  finest  room  in  her 
house.  I  have  been  filled  with  joy  at  the  reading  of 
your  father  receiving  the  Holy  Sacraments. 

Well,  let  us  return  thanks  to  God,  and  let  us  pray 
that  not  only  the  statesmen,  but  also  the  generals,  may 
join  the  choir,  and  sing  the  Catholic  creed — the  only 
one  made  by  the  apostles  and  taught  by  Christ. 

When  I  was  in  Washington  last,  I  wished  very  much 
to  call  and  see  you ;  but  I  arrived  there  late  in  the  eve 
ning,  and  had  to  leave  the  same  evening;  for  Rome. 

O/  O 

Please  to  give  my  kind  regards  to  the  General,  and  my 
best  wishes  to  all  your  family. 

Very  respectfully, 

JOSEPH  S.  ALEMANY. 
MRS.  E.  SHERMAN,  ETC. 


S  WANTON,  VERMONT,  Nov.  3,  1871. 

MY    DEAR    MRS.    SHERMAN:  I  feel  assured  you  will 

pardon  me  for  yielding  to  the  impulse  which  urged  me, 

as  I  this  moment  read  the  notice  of    the  departure  of 

vour  thrice-honored  father,  in  the  Journal  of  to-day,  to 


4  LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS. 

offer   you  my  most  sincere  and  heartfelt  sympathy  for 
a  loss  in  which  the  nation  mourns  with  you. 

With  expressions  of  sympathy  I  must  also  join  fervent 
congratulations  that  he  was  permitted  to  seal  the  record 
of  a  noble  and  illustrious  life  by  the  closing  act,  which 
opened  the  golden  gates  of  the  glorious  city  of  God  to 
him  as  he  passed  to  his  reward. 

I  have  not  failed  to  comply  daily  with  your  parting 
injunction  to  me  at  St.  Albans;  and  the  fervor  of  my 
poor  prayers  was  redoubled  when  I  saw  notices  of  the 
alarming  state  of  his  health.  Joy  and  thanksgiving 
mingle  with  regretful  sorrow  over  an  event  which  has 
removed  one  of  the  few  remaining  monuments  of  our 
former  national  glory. 

May  God  raise  up  others  like  him  and  his  distinguished 
compeers  to  rescue  our  dear  country  from  impending 
perils,  and  shed  new  lustre  upon  the  new  Union,  bathed 
with  a  nation's  tears,  and  cemented  with  a  nation's 
blood  ! 

Accept,  dear  Mrs,  Sherman,  for  yourself  and  family, 
assurances  of  our  distinguished  regard  and  deep  sympa- 
thy. 

Very  truly  and  sincerely  yours, 

JULIA  C.  SMALLEY. 


The  following  is  from  Judge  Samuel  Heber. 

ST.  Louis,  Oct.  30,  1871. 
MY  DEAR  GENERAL:  Your  favor  of  the  13th  was  duly 


LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS.  00 

received,  and  I  would  have  answered  it  sooner,  but  I 
learned  through  the  newspapers  that  you  had  gone  to 
Ohio,  to  watch  the  last  struggles  of  a  mighty  spirit  with 
that  destiny  which  ultimately  overcomes  the  bravest  and 
strongest.  Mr.  E\vin<*  fell  full  of  years  and  full  of 

O  O  •/ 

honors — honors  achieved  by  an  intellect  almost  peerless 
among  his  countrymen.  He  was  one  of  the  giants  of  the 
last  as^e  who  have  lived  into  our  time.  Who  can  wield 

O 

the  sword  or  wear  the  armor  of  the  departed  hero  ? 

We  do  not  mourn  his  death  immoderately,  for  that  i* 
the  lot  of  all  men ;  but  we  do  lament  that  so  much  great. 
ness,  so  much  learning,  and  so  much  of  the  wisdom  of 
experience  cannot  be  transmitted  to  others ;  that  it  must 
all  be  buried  in  the  grave.  "  How  inexorable  is 
death  ! "  His  memory  will  live  !  And  may  the  green 
turf  rest  lightly  upon  his  crave  ! 

O  •/  J.  O 


Dr.  N.  Ilirrls  to  Jii'ljs  Philemon  B.  Ewing. 

SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS,  Feb.  21,  1872. 
HONORED  AND  DEAR  SIR  :  Just  before  your  dear  and 
honored  father  died,  I  received  a  paper  from  Cincinnati 
giving  me  the  first  notice  of  his  illness ;  but  I  was  not 
able  to  visit  him,  and  his  death  soon  after  made  it  im 
possible  to  tender  to  him  in  person  my  sincere  and 
hearty  thanks  for  his  great  kindness  to  me  for  so  many 
years.  A  friend  and  relative,  I  am  happy  to  say, 
occupied  a  warm  place  in  my  affections  that  no  other 
man  has  ever  occupied.  I  am  glad  my  dear  old  friend 


86  LETTERS    A]STD    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FEIEXDS. 

and  cousin  was  buried  in  the  Catholic  faith.  You  may 
remember  that  I  was  always  a  liberal  Presbyterian  ;  and, 
as  my  mother,  Sarah  Carroll,  was  a  Catholic,  I  hope  to 
meet  her  and  a  good  many  of  my  Catholic  friends  who 
have  been  so  kind  to  me  in  that  good  world  where  sin 
will  never  come. 

I  was  much  disappointed  with  the  history  of  your 
grandfather,  Captain  George  Ewiug.  He  did  not  sell  his 
farm  on  credit,  but  for  $8,000  cash,  and  loaned  it  to  the 
Government,  and,  after  six  years  and  a  half  in  the  army, 
he  returned,  to  find  his  estate  all  gone,  and,  like  my 
mother,  received  Continental  pictures,  not  worth  five 
cents  on  the  dollar.  He  was  a  noble  man,  a  o-ood  officer, 

/  O 

and  was  much  respected. 

If  Mrs.  Sherman  has  not,  please  send  me  a  likeness  of 
our  dear  mother. 


UNIVERSITY, 
PROVIDENCE,  K.  L,  Oct.  27,  187  1. 
GEX.  THOMAS  EWESTG  : 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :  From  a  brief  reference  to  your  father's 
health  which  fell  under  my  notice  a  few  days  since,  I 
was  led  to  fear  that  his  condition  was  very  critical.  By 
a  telegram  in  my  morning  paper,  I  see  that  he  breathed 
his  last  in  the  afternoon  of  yesterday.  I  cannot  let  this 
event,  so  deeply  interesting  to  the  public  as  well  as  to 
his  own  bereaved  family,  pass  without  offering  to  you  my 
sincere  sympathy  in  so  great  a  bereavement.  It  was  my 
good  fortune  to  form  the  personal  acquaintance  of  your 


LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS.  87 

lather  some  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago.  Since  that  time, 
I  have  often  met  him,  and  on  two  or  three  occasions  have 
been  with  him  for  clays  together. 

I  have  known  a  goodly  number  of  our  eminent  states 
men.  If  I  except  Daniel  Webster,  I  know  not  another 
who  has  left  on  my  mind  so  deep  an  impression  of  intel 
lectual  power  and  range  of  knowledge.  He  never  failed 
to  pour  a  flood  of  light  upon  every  subject  which  might 
chance  to  fall  under  discussion,  and  hence  the  attractive 
ness  and  charm  of  his  conversation.  I  cannot  but  feel 
in  his  death  a  sense  of  personal  loss. 

In  this  hour  of  sorrow,  you  may  well  find  consolation 
in  his  estimable  character,  his  eminent  public  services,  and 
in  the  universal  respect  that  will  be  felt  for  his  memory. 
More  than  this,  I  trust  we  may  all  find  consolation  in 
the  hope  that,  through  the  merits  of  Christ  our  Saviour, 
he  has  entered  into  the  peace  and  blessedness  of  them 

that  love  God. 

Believe  me,  most  sincerely  yours, 

ALEXIS  CASWELL. 


CINCINNATI,  Oct.  28,  1871. 
GEN.  THOMAS  EWING  : 

DEAR  SIR  :  Yesterday  afternoon,  in  Indiana,  I  learned 
from  Cincinnati  papers  the  death  of  your  father.  On 
arriving  home,  I  find  a  despatch  from  Mr.  Hunter,  dated 
the  2Gth,  announcing  it,  and  learn  that  my  son-in-law, 
M.  Jenney,  had  forwarded  the  news,  but  it  had  missed 
me.  I  was  at  Richmond  attending  a  family  meeting  con- 


LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIEXDS. 

sequent  upon  tlie  death  of  Mrs.  Perry's  mother,  who  died 
last  Sunday  in  her  seventy-ninth  year. 

I  was  well  informed  of  the  leading  events  of  your 
father's  life  and  career  preceding  the  late  civil  war.  Since 
the  opening  of  the  war,  I  have  watched  his  public  ex 
pressions,  "but  they  have  been  comparatively  few.  That 
his  opinions  and  views  have  been  all  the  time  open, 
energetic,  and  decided,  no  one  who  knew  his  constitution 

O  '  ' 

could  doubt ;  but  mv  means  of  knowing  them  have  been 

*;  O 

less  continuous  and  authentic  than  before.  I  have  taken 
it  for  granted  that  the  part  borne  in  the  great  struggle 
by  his  sons  and  by  Gen.  Sherman  was  such  as  he  would 
have  chosen  ;  and  I  know  from  himself  that  he  felt  in  all 
its  just  depths  the  special  personal  gratification  in  their 
services,  which,  in  a  less  special  form,  but  not  in  any 
less  genuine  sense,  was  felt  by  the  whole  country.  I  am 
glad  he  lived  to  see  the  struggle  ended,  and  to  wit 
ness  the  honors  of  his  family.  "While  I  do  not  doubt  the 
coming  grandeur  and  prosperity  of  our  country,  public 
affairs  are  passing  through  a  stage  which  it  were  no 
great  loss  to  miss.  The  course  of  nature  having  required 
a  great  man's  eyes  to  be  closed,  they  are,  as  to  public 
affairs,  closed  upon  little  which  he  would  have  cared  to 
see. 

At  a  critical  period  of  your  father's  political  fortunes, 
I  had  reason  to  believe  myself  in  his  confidence,  and  had 
with  him  free  conferences.  The  thing  which  most  thrusts 
itself  upon  my  thoughts  at  this  moment  is  that  I  never 
heard  him  utter  or  hint  an  unmanly  or  unfair  thought. 


LETTERS    AND    TELEGRAMS    FROM    FRIENDS.  80 

If  lie  ever  sought  or  wished  an  unfair  advantage  in  any 

O  «.' 

struggle,  I  did  not  suspect  it.  I  look  upon  him  as  one  of 
the  greatest  men  I  have  ever  seen.  The  tendency  of  my 
estimate  is  to  place  him  a  little  higher,  and  rank  him  in 
a  class  by  himself.  Be  kind  enough  to  accept  for  your 
self,  and  to  make  known  to  such  of  your  family  as  would 
value  it,  my  most  sincere  and  respectful  sympathy. 
Very  truly  yours, 

AARON  F.  PERRY. 


COLOIBUS,  O.,  Oct.  £G,  1871. 
ToH.  II.  HUNTER: 

The  funeral  of  Mr.  Ewing  will  be  attended  by  myself 
and  other  State  officers.  The  Supreme  Court  will  hold  no 
session  Saturday,  to  enable  members  of  the  court  and 
bar  to  attend.  R.  B.  HAYES. 


AUGUSTA,  ME.,  Oct.  27,  1871. 
GEN.  W.  T.  SHEKMAN  : 

Just  heard  of  Mr.  E wing's  death.  I  greatly  regret 
that  I  cannot  be  present  at  the  funeral  ceremonies  of  one 
for  whom  I  have  all  my  life  cherished  the  profoundest 
respect  and  regard.  Mrs.  Blaine  joins  me  in  expressions 
of  fullest  sympathy  to  the  family. 

J.  G.  BLAINE. 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Oct.  27,  1871. 
GEN.  W.  T.  SHERMAN  : 

event   could   have  more  profoundly  affected  the 


00       LETTERS  AND  TELEGRAMS  FROM  FRIENDS. 

court  and  bar  than  the  death  of  Mr.  Ewiner.     It  adds  to 

O 

my  own  sorrow  that  I  cannot  join  in  his  funeral  train. 

J.  M.  CARLISLE. 


QnxcY,  ILL.,  Oct.  27,  1871. 
GEN.  W.  T.  SHERMAN  : 

Received  your  telegram  last  night,  and  greatly  regret 
that  I  cannot  come  to  Lancaster.  I  write  you  by  mail 
to-day.  O.  H.  BROWNING 


NEW  YORK,  Oct.  27,  1871. 
GEN.  AND  MRS.  SHERMAN  : 

Most  sincerely  we  sympathize  with  you  in  the  great 
loss  to  the  family  and  the  country. 

EUGENE  CASSERLY, 
TERESA  CASSERLY, 

St.  James  Hotel. 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 


[From  the  Gazette,  Lancaster,  Ohio,  Thursday,  Xov.  2,  1871.] 

Ox  Thursday  last,  the  2Gth  of  October,  1871,  at 
a  quarter  to  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  distin 
guished  citizen  of  Lancaster,  and  eminent  American  states 
man,  Thomas  Ewing,  departed  this  life,  in  the  82d  year 
of  his  as;e.  The  state  of  his  health  for  several  mouths 

o 

had  prepared  all  fur  the  solemn  event ;  and  when  the 
final  summons  came,  it  found  him  also  prepared.  Full 
of  years  and  of  honors,  the  cynosure  of  a  nation's 
mournful  interest,  he  has  passed  away,  the  last,  we  be 
lieve,  of  that  grand  array  of  giant  intellects  which  illu 
minated  the  American  Senate  in  the  days  of  Webster, 
Clay,  Calhoun,  Benton,  and  their  contemporaries,  who 
gave  that  body  the  highest  distinction  it  has  ever  gained. 
His  last  hours  were  consoled  by  the  presence  of  his 
children  and  children's  children,  and  of  the  spiritual 
guides  whose  ministrations  were  sought  in  the  final 

O  O 

closing  of  earthly  scenes. 

The  death  of  no  public  man  of  this  country  could  have 
created  a  more  profound  sensation,  or  called  forth  more 
general  and  earnest  expressions  of  sorrow  and  sympathy. 
From  the  several  departments  of  the  national  service  at 
Washington  to  the  smallest  municipal  organizations,  in 
cluding  State  Legislatures,  judicial  bodies,  City  Coun- 


92  FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF   THE    DAY. 

• 

cils,  associations  of  the  legal  profession,  and  learned  and 
dignified  societies  too  numerous  to  name,  all  Lave  taken 
formal  action  to  testify  their  respect  for  the  memory  of  a 
great  man  whose  career  discloses  no  blemish  to  dim  its 
lustre,  no  public  act  that  can  be  recalled  with  regret,  no 
impulse  that  was  not  for  his  country's  welfare. 

The  mass  of  matter  which  this  event  has  drawn  out 
from  various  sources,  and  of  which  we  have  liberally 
availed  ourselves  for  our  columns  this  week,  has  left  us 
no  space  for  further  remark,  even  had  we  the  ability  to 
add  in  the  slightest  decree  to  the  interest  and  force  of 

O  O 

what  has  been  so  well  said  by  those  whose  position  as 
lifelong  neighbors  and  friends  enables  them  so  much  more 

O  O 

fitly  to  deal  with  the  subject.     We  need  not  commend 

this  matter  to  the  attention  of  our  readers,  all  of  whom 

• 

have  felt  a  noble  pride  in  the  great  citizen  whose  loss  is 
now  so  deeply  and  widely  mourned,  which  will  impart 
an  interest  to  what  we  present  to-day  on  this  memorable 
subject  that  could  be  supplied  by  matter  of  no  other 
character  whatever. 


[Cincinnati  Enquirer.] 

The  telegraph  brings  the  intelligence  that  Hon. 
Thomas  Ewing  is  lying  at  the  point  of  death  at  his  home 
in  Lancaster.  Before  this  paper  reaches  many  of  our  sub 
scribers,  the  grave,  perhaps,  will  have  closed  over  the 
venerable  statesman  and  jurist  whose  name  has  been  so 
familiar  for  the  last  forty  years  in  the  political  and 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  93 

judicial  annals  of  Ohio.   A  sketch  of  his  life  and  services 
will  be  read  with  interest  at  this  time. 

The  place  of  Mr.  E wing's  nativity  was  Ohio  County, 
Virginia,  He  was  born  on  the  28th  day  of  December, 
1780,  and  is  consequently  in  the  82d  year  of  his  age 
at  this  time.  His  father,  a  man  of  some  means,  be 
came  considerably  reduced  during  the  progress  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  in  which  he  took  a  part.  After  the 
establishment  of  peace,  the  paternal  Ewing  removed  his 
family  to  the  valley  of  the  Muskmgum,  in  Ohio,  and  in 
1792  he  repaired  to  a  frontier  settlement,  now  known  as 
Athens  County.  It  was  in  this  wild  region  that  young 
Thomas  spent  his  boyhood,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that 
the  rough  experiences  of  a  frontier  life  aroused  and  de 
veloped  that  fortitude  and  self-reliance  which  were  such 
distinguishing;  elements  in  his  character  in  after-life.  He 

O  O 

was  taught  to  read  by  an  elder  sister,  and  gave  early  in 
dications  of  remarkable  intellectual  activity.  He  read 
eagerly  all  the  books  that  came  within  his  reach,  pur 
suing  his  researches  at  riio;ht  by  the  glowing  liirht  of 

O  O  «/  O  O  o 

hickory-bark,  or  the  inevitable  pine-knot,  unfailing  re 
sources  of  light  to  our  ancestors,  and  always  at  hand. 
Having  attained  his  twentieth  year,  he  left  the  paternal 
roof,  and  set  out  for  the  Kanawha  salt  mines  to  work  on 
his  own  account.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  by 
the  exercise  of  prudence  and  economy,  he  saved  enough 
from  his  scanty  earnings  to  purchase  a  form  for  his 
father,  and  with  the  meagre  surplus  he  entered  the  Ohio 
University,  and  pursued  his  studies  energetically,  with 


FROM   THE   NEWSPAPERS    OF   THE    DAY. 

occasional  interruptions  in  consequence  of  failing  funds, 
until  the  year  1815,  when  he  graduated,  receiving  the 
first  degree  of  A.B.  ever  issued  by  that  educational  in 
stitution. 

Having  previously  determined  to  adopt  the  profession 
of  .the  law  as  a  means  of  livelihood,  he  immediately  com 
menced  his  studies  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  1810.  From  the  first  his  efforts  were 
crowned  with  success,  and  lie  rapidly  achieved  wealth 
and  reputation,  much  of  his  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  being  of  a  remunerative  character. 

About  this  time  he  began  to  take  an  active  part  in 
politics,  and  in  1831  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States 
Senate  as  a  Whig,  and  became  the  friend  and  colleague 
of  Clay  and  Webster. 

He  took  a  prominent  and  leading  position  in  the  Sen 
ate,  and  assailed  the  Administration  for  its  apparent  en 
croachments.  He  took  strong  grounds  against  the  con 
firmation  of  Martin  Van  Buren,  who  had  been  designated 

/  O 

by  the  President  as  Minister  to  the  court  of  St.  James, 
and  was  a  warm  adherent  and  supporter  of  the  protec 
tive-tariff  views  of  Henry  Clay.  He  also  lent  his  in 
fluence  to  the  enactment  of  a  law  reducing  the  rates  of 
postage.  Among  other  important  measures  which  he 
supported  was  the  rechartering  of  the  United  States  Bank 
and  the  revenue  collection  bill  known  as  the  Force  Bill. 
He  took  an  active  part  in  all  measures  that  came  before 
the  Senate.  As  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Post- 
Offices  and  Post-roads,  he  presented  a  majority  report  on 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE   DAY.  VD 

the  abuses  in  tlie  Post-Office  Department  accompanied  by 
fourteen  resolutions  of  censure.  These  resolutions  were 
subsequently  reduced  to  four,  and  passed  by  a  small  ma 
jority.  Daring  the  following  session,  Mr.  Ewing  pre 
sented  another  majority  report,  accompanied  by  a  bill 
reorganizing  the  Post-Office  Department,  which  passed  the 
Senate  by  a  bare  majority  on  the  9th  of  February,  1835. 
This  measure  was  defeated  in  the  House  of  Representa 
tives,  and  it  was  not  until  the  following  session,  when 
the  Postmaster-General  resigned,  that  the  bill  went  into 
operation. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the  removal  of  the 
deposits  from  the  United  States  Bank,  regarding  the 
measure  as  unconstitutional. 

It  wras  through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  Ewing  that 
the  much-mooted  question  of  the  boundary  of  Ohio  was 
settled  by  a  bill  introduced  by  him  December  21,  1833, 
which  reached  its  final  passage  the  following  year,  on  the 
llth  of  March,  in  the  Senate,  and  on  the  15th  of  June  in 
the  House  of  Representatives. 

He  also  brought  forward  a  bill  for  the  reorganization 
of  the  Land  Office,  which  was  passed  during  the  same 
session.  He  opposed  the  policy  of  granting  pre-emption 
rights,  the  admission  of  Michigan  into  the  Union,  and 

O  /  O  / 

discussed  the  complications  which  arose  with  the  French 
Government ;  spoke  upon  the  deposit  bill,  the  limitation 
of  executive  patronage,  and  the  fortification  bill.  He 
also  presented  a  memorial  praying  for  the  abolition  of 
slavery  and  the  slave-trade  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 


93  FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY. 

and  asked  that  it  be  appropriately  referred,  at  the  same 
time  expressing  himself  opposed  to  the  granting  of  the 
prayer  of  the  memorialists. 

In  December,  1836,  Mr.  Ewino;  introduced  a  bill  which 

>i  ~ 

caused  warm  debate,  and  was  ultimately  defeated.  This 
was  a  measure  for  annulling  a  document  issued  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  the  previous  year,  called  the 
"Specie  Circular,"  which  authorized  the  receivers  in  the 
Land  Office  to  accept  payments  only  in  gold,  silver,  or 
Treasury  certificates,  except  from  certain  classes  of  per 
sons,  for  a  limited  time.  Another  bill,  declaring  it  uu- 

/  /  <_/ 

lawful  for  the  Secretary  to  make  discrimination?,  was 
also  defeated. 

Mr.  Ewino;  returned  to   Lancaster,  and   resumed  the 

O  / 

practice  of  the  law.  Upon  the  election  of  General  Harri 
son  to  the  Presidency,  Mr.  Ewing,  who  had  been  a  warm 
supporter,  was  made  a  member  of  the  Cabinet,  occupy 
ing  the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  the  duties 
of  which  responsible  office  he  continued  to  discharge  un 
der  President  Tyler. 

His  first  official  report  was  distinguished  by  the  ad 
vocacy  of  measures  intended  to  diminish  the  national 
debt,  one  of  which  was  the  imposition  of  20  per  cent. 
ad  valorem  duties  on  certain  articles.  In  this  report,  he 
also  attacked  the  Independent  Treasury  Act,  passed  the 
previous  year,  and  advocated  the  establishment  of  a  Na 
tional  Bank.  Air.  Ewing  subsequently  drafted  a  bill  for 
the  establishment  of  a  National  Bank,  which  was  vetoed 
by  the  President. 


FKOM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  97 

At  the  request  of  President  Tyler,  Mr.  Ewing  tlieii 
drafted  a  charter,  which  passed  both  Houses  of  Congress, 
but  was  also  vetoed.  Thereupon  the  entire  Cabinet,  with 
the  exception  of  Mr.  Webster,  resigned.  Mr.  Ewiug  pub 
lished  a  letter  explaining  his  views  and  giving  the  reason 
for  the  course  he  had  taken. 

The  Department  of  the  Interior  having  been  created 
under  the  administration  of  President  Taylor,  Mr.  Ewing 
accepted  the  Secretaryship,  and  organized  it.  During 
his  term  of  office,  he  recommended  several  measures  of 
public  importance  in  his  reports. 

Mr.  Ewing  differed  from  Mr.  Clay  and  others  of  his 
associates  on  the  question  of  Congressional  legislation  011 
the  subject  of  slavery.  Mr.  Clay  contended  that  the 
question  should  be  settled  at  once,  and  Mr.  Ewing  that 
the  legislation  of  Congress  was  uncalled  for. 

The  death  of  General  Taylor  and  the  accession  of  Mr. 
Fillmore,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1850,  precipitated  the  ques 
tion,  and  rendered  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Ewinsr  neces- 

J  O  O 

sary.  Hon.  Thomas  Cor  win  was  appointed  Mr.  E  wing's 
successor,  and  Mr.  Ewing  was  appointed  by  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Ohio  to  serve  in  the  Senate  the  unexpired  term 
of  Mr.  Corwin.  During  this  period,  he  was  an  active 
defender  of  General  Taylor's  Administration.  He  was 
opposed  to  the  fugitive  slave  law,  the  compromise  bill 
of  Mr.  Clay,  advocated  the  establishment  of  a  branch 
mint  in  California,  the  reduction  of  postage,  internal 
improvements,  and  various  other  measures  of  public  im 
portance. 


08  FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY. 

He  did  not  retire  to  private  life  until  1851,  when  he 
returned  to  Lancaster,  his  old  home,  and  resumed  the 
practice  of  the  law.  He  was  engaged  as  an  attorney  in 
many  important  litigations  requiring  the  exercise  of  the 
highest  order  of  talent,  and  always  acquitted  himself 
with  distinguished  credit.  His  ability  as  a  lawyer  was 
only  excelled  by  his  ability  as  a  public  speaker  and  a 
statesman. 

About  a  week  ago,  he  embraced  the  religion  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  and  received  the  sacrament  at  the  hands 
of  Archbishop  Purcell. 


[Washington  Patriot.] 

DEATH  OF  HON.  THOS.  EWINO,  OF  OHIO. 

The  following  despatch  has  been  received  from  General 
Sherman  : 

" LANCASTEK,  OHIO,  Oct.  2(3. 

"Hon.  Thomas  Ewing  died  at  half-past  three  o'clock 
this  afternoon,  surrounded  by  his  family,  as  easily  and 
naturally  as  though  taking  a  sleep.  He  will  be  buried 
here  at  11  o'clock  on  Saturday.  W.  T.  SHERMAN." 

Since  the  deaths  of  Douglas,  Crittenden,  and  Taney, 
the  country  has  been  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  no  states 
man  of  equal  power  and  national  fame.  His  eminent 
public  services  merit  and  demand  a  more  detailed  notice 
than  the  mere  mention  of  the  day  and  hour  of  his  death. 

He   was   born   in    Virginia,   December    28,   1789,    of 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF   THE    DAY.  99 

Revolutionary  parentage.  la  his  third  year  his  father 
removed  to  that  portion  of  the  frontier  settlements  which 
is  now  the  State  of  Ohio.  His  youth  and  early  manhood 
were  passed  amid  the  hardships  of  frontier  life.  His 
studies  were  pursued  by  the  light  of  a  hickory  bark,  and 
by  the  earnings  of  his  manual  labor  he  paid  for  his 
father's  farm  and  his  own  education. 

In  1810,  one  year  after  graduating  at  the  Ohio  Uni 
versity,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  was  then 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  immediately  rose  to 
eminence,  verifying  the  maxim  that  "  the  law  has  hopes 
of  those  Avho  come  to  it  late."  He  was  a  Whis:  Senator 

<_j 

in  1831,  and  again  in  1850,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of 
Thomas  Corwin.  During  his  political  career  he  sustain 
ed  nearly  all  the  "\Vhig  party  measures.  He  was  active 
ly  enim^ed  in  1834  in  reorganizing  the  Post-Office: 

•f  O     O  CO 

brought  in  the  bill  for  the  reorganization  of  the  General 
Land  Office;  and  introduced  and  passed  the  bill  for  the 
settlement  of  the  Ohio  Boundary  question.  In  1840,  he 
became  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  General  Harri 
son,  continuing  under  Tyler,  but  resigned  upon  the  veto 
of  the  National  Bank  Bill,  a  measure  which  he  favored, 
having  himself  prepared  a  bill  for  the  establishment  of 
the  bank.  As  Secretary  of  the  Interior  under  Taylor,  in 
1849,  he  organized  the  then  new  Interior  Department, 
and  originated  and  recommended  its  earliest  measures  of 
internal  progress  and  development.  Since  1851  he  has 
lived  retired  from  public  life. 

His  celebrity  as   a  statesman   and  public  speaker  is 


100       FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

equalled  by  his  reputation  as  a  lawyer.  His  leading 
mental  quality  was  that  of  great  clearness  and  compact 
ness  of  reasoning.  Arguments  whereon  other  equally 
eminent  lawyers  would  consume  days,  he  would  condense 
within  half  an  hour,  for  which  he  was  often  compliment 
ed  from  the  bench.  These  powers  of  his  mind  have 
secured  for  him  the  title  of  the  "  Great  Logician  of  the 
West."  In  person,  he  was  tall  and  commanding  and 
possessed  of  a  powerful  frame ;  in  manner,  quiet,  self- 
controlled,  gentle,  and  courteous;  always  exhibiting  one 
of  the  most  endearing  marks  of  true  greatness — kindness 
and  consideration  for  youth. 

In  his  late  years  he  has  taken  no  very  active  part  in 
politics,  though  he  has  not  unfrequently  given  to  the 
country  the  wise  advice  of  conciliation  and  harmony. 
He  sustained  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  the  pa 
triotic  prosecution  of  the  war,  for  pure  and  national 
purposes,  but  he  was  earnestly  opposed  to  the  Radical 
measures  of  reconstruction,  and  to  their  unconstitutional 
legislation  since  the  war ;  and  during  and  since  the 
administration  of  President  Johnson,  he  has  avowedly 
thought  and  acted  with  the  Democracy. 

The  friend  and  compeer  of  Clay  and  Webster,  he  may 
be  pronounced  almost  the  last  of  a  great  race  of  states 
men,  who,  deeply  learned  in  the  history,  laws,  and 
Constitution  of  their  country,  and  identified  with  its 
institutions  since  their  creation,  were  inspired  by  a  de 
voted  love  for  their  country,  and  could  never  tolerate  any 
violation  of  the  spirit  or  letter  of  the  Constitution.  He 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  101 

was  always  steadily  opposed  to  executive  encroachments, 
and  made  this  opposition  one  of  his  fundamental  politi 
cal  principles. 

lie  leaves  behind  him  a  family,  large,  powerful,  and 
established  in  the  love,  confidence,  and  respect  of  the 
entire  country.  While  the  country  has  thus  lost  one  of 
its  "  pillars  of  state,"  they  have  lost  a  father,  a  counsellor, 
and  a  friend,  who,  renewing  his  youth  in  them,  has  here 
tofore  added  to  the  strength  and  vigor  of  their  manhood 
the  wisdom  of  his  years  and  the  counsels  of  his  experi 
ence.  The  country  deeply  mourns  his  loss,  and  tenders 
its  sympathies  and  condolence  to  his  afflicted  family. 
While  he  lived,  he  commanded  the  respect  of  age  and  the 
reverence  and  attachment  of  youth  ;  and,  dying  in  the 
fulness  of  years,  his  head  is  thrice  silvered  with  honor, 
dignity,  and  fame. 


[Cincinnati  Commercial.] 

DEATH  OF  THOMAS  EWIXG. 

This  event  took  place  at  Lancaster  last  Thursday  after 
noon.  Elsewhere  a  memoir,  prepared  by  one  of  his  old 
friends,  is  published.  It  is  interesting,  especially  on  ac 
count  of  the  beautiful  and  instructive  story  told  of  the 
boyhood  and  early  manhood  of  Mr.  Ewing.  All  have 
heard  of  him  as  the  "  Salt-Boiler,"  but  few  of  this  genera 
tion  have  known  with  what  honorable  toil  and  with 
what  admirable  ambition  that  title  was  earned. 

In  public  life,  he  stood  high  among  the  strong  men. 

13 


102       FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

His  first  term  in  the  United  States  Senate  was  from 
March  4, 1831  ;  and  he  was  succeeded  by  William  Allen, 
who  was  elected  by  one  majority.  He  was  very  active 
on  the  stump  for  Harrison  in  1840,  for  Clay  in  1844, 
and  for  Taylor  in  1848.  He  was  in  the  Cabinets  both 
of  Harrison  and  Taylor.  After  the  death  of  Harrison, 
he  bitterly  resented  the  partisan  defection  of  Tyler ;  and 
after  Taylors  death  lie  preferred  the  Senate  to  the  Cabi 
net.  Then  Corwin  became  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
under  Fillmore,  and  Ewing  was  appointed  Senator  to  fill 
the  vacancy  occasioned  by  Cor  win's  resignation. 

It  is  related  that  after  the  nomination  of  General 
Taylor  by  the  Whig  Convention,  the  triumphant  Taylor 
men,  anxious  to  conciliate  Mr.  Clay's  friends,  proposed 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  Ewinsr  for  Vice-President,  and  it 

O  / 

would  have  followed,  as  a  matter  of  course,  had  not  the 
Hon.  L.  D.  Campbell,  inconsolable  for  the  defeat  of  Clay, 
and  irritated  too,  declared  that  Ohio  "  did  not  want  any 
sugar-plums,"  and  the  nomination  passed  on  to  Fillmore, 
and  made  him  President. 

Mr.  Ewing's  resolute  adherence  to  the  course  that  his 
own  convictions  marked  out  for  him  was  strikingly 
apparent  in  his  opposition  to  Henry  Clay's  great  compro 
mise  measure,  known  as  the  Omnibus  Bill.  Mr.  Clay 
exerted  his  whole  strength  to  bring  support  to  that  bill, 
and  on  one  occasion  intimated  strongly  to  Mr.  Ewing 
that  he  would  suffer  for  his  opposition  to  it,  succeed 
ing  only  in  drawing  from  him  a  positive  expression  of 
antagonism  to  his  policy.  In  this  memorable  contest, 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       103 

Mr.  Ewinir  was  against  the  Fugitive-slave  Law  and  in 

o  o  o 

favor  of  the  unconditional  admission  of  California  as  a 
State.  When  the  time  came  that  Mr.  Ewinsr  was  a 

O 

candidate  for  re-election  to  the  Senate,  owing  to  the 
personal  opposition  of  General  J.  H.  Geiger,  he  lacked  a 
vote  or  two  of  having  enouirh.  The  result  was,  after  a 

O  O  / 

fierce  striiirsrle,  tlie  election  of  a  gentleman  not  then  well 

oo      /  o 

known  in  tlie  State,  but  who  happened  to  have  three  or 
four  fast  friends.  His  name  was  Benjamin  F.  Wade. 

In  his  retirement  from  official  life,  Mr.  Ewiug  did  not 
lose  interest  in  public  affairs.  He  was  active  in  his 
profession,  and  his  force  of  character  and  intellect  gave 
him  unsought  conspicuity  and  influence.  In  1861,  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Denisou  to  represent  Ohio 
in  the  Peace  Commission,  which  sat  in  Washington. 
His  associates  were  S.  P.  Chase,  Reuben  Hitchcock,  F. 
T.  Backus,  and  Judge  J.  C.  Wright.  When  hostilities 
broke  out,  he  took  an  active  part  in  favor  of  measures 
for  the  support  of  the  National  Government,  and 
throughout  the  Avar  was  an  earnest  supporter  of  the 
Government  and  a  trusted  counsellor  of  President  Lin 
coln,  whose  regard  for  him  amounted  to  veneration.  On 
the  Trent  seizure,  with  Slidell  and  Mason,  he  imme 
diately  wrote  Mr.  Lincoln,  "There  is  no  such  thing  as 
contraband  of  war  between  neutral  ports,"  and  urged 
that  Mason  and  Slidell  be  surrendered  to  the  English 

O 

in  accordance  with  international  law.  When  Mr.  Ever 
ett's  opinion  was  published,  arguing  that  our  Govern 
ment  had  a  right  to  hold  them  under  the  law  of 


104  FKOM  THE  :N*EWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

nations,  Mr.  Swin^  Lurried  to  "Washington ,  and  found 

'  O  O  / 

Mr.  Seward  inclined  to  Mr.  Everett's  view,  but  Mr. 
Lincoln  felt  from  the  first  a  doubt  about  the  ri^ht  of 

O 

our  Government  to  retain  them.  Mr.  Ewing's  great 
influence — those  who  know  best  how  ardently  it  was 
exerted,  have  reason  to  believe — turned  the  scale,  and 
Ave  were  saved  from  a  rash  and  needless  war  with 
England,  at  a  time  that  would  have  called  for  tremen 
dous  sacrifices,  and  that  might  have  destroyed  our 
national  unity. 

In  18G2,  Mr.  Ewing  formed  a  new  partnership,  and 
entered  upon  the  practice  of  the  law  in  Washington 
City;  but  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  retired  from  the 
practice,  except  as  to  a  few  old  cases.  In  arguing  one 
of  these,  something  more  than  a  year  ago,  it  will  be 
remembered,  he  fell  in  a  fainting-fit  from  over-exertion 
and  the  effects  of  the  malady  which  has  occasioned  his 
death. 

He  retained  his  faculties  to  the  last  in  a  remarkable 
degree.  He  has,  occasionally,  during  several  years,  in 
addressing  the  public,  preferred  to  do  it  through  the 
columns  of  this  journal.  At  his  advanced  age,  his 
massive  communications,  all  written  out  with  his  own 
firm  hand,  were  literary  and  MS.  curiosities,  and  bore 
testimony  to  his  capacity  for  labor  and  the  unabated 
force  of  his  .faculties.  Always  of  a  conservative  ten 
dency,  though  his  natural  disposition  was  at  once  im 
petuous  and  imperious,  he  had  a  lawyer's  dread  and 
detestation  of  revolutionary  proceedings;  and  he  could 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       105 

not  see  the  necessity,  or  believe  in  the  safety,  of  the 
reconstructive  legislation  of  Congress.  This  drove  him 

O  O 

to  act  during  his  last  days  with  the  Democratic  party. 
A   few   months   a^o,  he   srave  the  old  homestead  at 

O      '  O 

Lancaster,  which  had  been  his  home  since  1823,  to 
Thomas  Ewiug,  Jr.,  and  last  summer,  knowing  full  well 
his  condition,  and  feeling  that  the  end  of  his  days  drew 
nigh,  he  revisited  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood,  and  with 
touching  tenderness  revived  old  associations,  after  an 
absence  from  them  of  more  than  half  a  century. 

Public  life  prevented  Mr.  Ewing  realizing  the  full 
pecuniary  rewards  from  his  professional  labors  that  his 
reputation  would  have  commanded ;  but  he  was,  in  his 
old  age,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  comfortable  competency. 
As  a  statesman,  austere  and  inflexible;  as  a  partisan, 
passionate  and  resolute,  and  not  always  exercising  the 
completest  self-control,  he  was  a  considerate  and  kindly 
friend;  and  his  devotion  to  the  memory  of  his  wife,  and 
love  for  and  pride  in  his  children,  beautified  his  life. 


[Mansfield  Herald.] 

HON.   THOMAS   EWIXG. 

The  country,  on  Thursday,  lost,  in  the  death  of 
Thomas  Ewing,  the  last  link  that  bound  the  present 
political  era  to  the  dim  and  fading  past.  Mr.  Ewing 
died  calmly  at  his  residence  in  Lancaster,  O.,,  which 
has  been  his  home  for  more  than  half  a  century, 


106  FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY. 

and  where  all  his  children  were  born,  and  all  were 
•with  him  at  his  death.  Biographies  have  already 
been  published  in  the  Cincinnati  papers,  and  read  by 
many  of  the  readers  of  the  Herald,  but  as  the  writer 
of  this  knew  him  well,  he  thinks  that  a  more  extended 
sketch  than  has  been  presented,  embracing  some  in 
cidents  that  have  not  been  named  in  these,  might 
not  be  uninteresting. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  born  near  West  Liberty,  Virginia, 
in  1780,  his  father  having  moved  into  that  country 
in  1786.  This  place  is  situated  about  six  miles  east 
of  the  Ohio  River,  and  was  then  the  most  densely 
populated  place,  south  of  Pittsburg,  near  the  river. 
It  is  no  more  thickly  settled  now  than  then.  The 
house  where  he  was  born  was  removed  loiif  before 

O 

he  was.  When  he  was  but  three  years  old,  his  father 
removed  to  Ohio  and  bought  land  on  the  Muskin«nm 

o  O 

River,  where  he  lived  for  some  years,  then  removed 
to  Federal  Creek,  where  he  lived  until  his  son  had 
made  money  enough  by  the  law  to  buy  and  settle 
him  on  a  good  farm  in  Indiana.  Thomas  labored 
hard  upon  the  farm,  but  yearned  for  a  higher  life. 
With  all  his  labor  and  deprivation  of  intellectual  re 
sources,  he  found  time  to  read  and  study,  and  the 
more  he  studied,  the  more  he  desired.  He  had  a 
few  months'  schooling  at  West  Liberty  in  1797,  and 
subsequently  had  six  months'  teaching  at  a  small  school 
near  his  home,  and  this  was  all  until  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age.  His  whole  time  was  spent  in  hard 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       107 

labor  on  a  farm  until  lie  was  nineteen  years  old, 
when  he  went  to  the  Kanawha  River,  in  Virginia,  and 
there  went  to  boiling  salt.  This  was  about  200  miles 

O 

from  his  home,  and  in  a  country  that  is  still  wild 
and  sparsely  populated,  yet,  besides  having  salt  in 
abundance,  is  one  of  the  richest  mineral  regions  in 
the  Union.  Here  he  earned  $80  in  four  mouths,  which 
he  gave  to  his  father,  but  spent  part  of  the  ensuing- 
winter  at  Athens,  and  in  the  next  two  years  earned 
nearly  enough  to  enable  him  to  graduate  at  Athens 

«,  O  O 

College,  then  the  only  one  in  the  State.  After  many 
struggles  and  privations,  he  graduated  in  1815,  and 
received  the  first  degree  of  A.B.  ever  conferred  in 
the  State.  He  was  then  twenty-six  years  of  age,  and 
had  still  his  profession  to  study  without  money.  He 
commenced  to  study  with  Gen.  Beecher,  of  Lancaster, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  twenty-eight  years 
of  age.  He  at  once  took  a  high  position  as  a  sound 
lawyer  and  powerful  advocate.  He  seemed  to  grasp 
all  the  strong  points  of  his  cases,  and  was  able  to 
set  them  forth  in  such  a  manner  as  to  convince  the 
reason,  not  influence  the  passions,  of  the  court  and 
jury.  He  made  use  of  none  of  the  tricks  of  the 
trade.  All  with  him  Avas  straightforward,  earnest 
truth,  which  he  preserved  throughout  his  political 
as  well  as  legal  and  domestic  life. 

In  person,  Mr.  Ewing  was  large  and  robust,  but 
never  fleshy.  Ilis  frame  had  been  fully  developed 
with  manual  labor  in  his  younger  life,  and  his  man- 


108  FLIO:«I    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY. 

ner  and  all  his  movements,  as  well  as  his  language, 
gave  you  that  impression,  as  both  did  of  the  earnest 
ness  and  truthfulness  of  his  character.  Although,  many 
of  the  early  members  of  the  bar  of  Ohio  became 
eminent  entirely  through  their  own  exertions,  and  with 
out  early  advantages  of  education,  as  Hammond,  Cor- 
win,  and  others,  yet  there  are  none  to  whom  we  could 
so  conscientiously  direct  the  attention  of  the  young 
and  ambitions  as  to  Mr.  Ewiug.  His  early  life  seems 
to  have  been  one  of  settled  purpose  and  blameless, 
truthful  energy,  acquiring  therein  habits  and  tones 
of  thought  and  strong  filial  affections  that  marked  him 
through  life.  Young  men,  especially  you  to  whom 
the  world  before  you  looks  cold  and  hard,  and  hopes 
vague  and  dim,  remember  Thomas  Ewing,  "  the  salt- 
boiler,"  and  follow  him  in  fixedness  of  purpose,  strength 
of  will,  perseverance,  and,  above  all,  in  strict  integrity 
and  temperance  of  life  and  habits,  and  the  clouds, 
though  dense,  will  clear  away  and  a  bright  sunlight 
will  beam  upon  your  future  lives  and  hearts. 

In    1830,  Mr.  Ewinor   was    elected  to  the    Senate  of 

7  O 

the  United  States  with  great  unanimity  by  the  Legis 
lature  of  Ohio,  not  because  he  was  a  politician,  nor 
because  he  had  an  influential  family  or  connections, 
but  simply  because  they  knew  him  capable.  With 
out  any  special  attractions  of  eloquence  in  voice, 
language,  or  manner,  Mr.  Ewing  at  once  took  posi 
tion  among  the  highest  in  that  bright  galaxy  of 
statesmen  in  which  were  Clav,  Webster,  Calhoun, 

V      '  1 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  100 

Preston,  Bayard,  and  Eenton.  lie  was  then  but  lit 
tle  more  thaa  forty  years  old — among  the  youngest 
of  the  eminent  men,  but  his  ability  was  at  once 
acknowledged.  He  looked  older — indeed,  seemed  never 
to  Lave  had  a  youth.  He  spoke  but  rarely,  nay. 
only  when  it  seemed  necessary  to  cany  an  impor 
tant  point.  His  speeches  are  still  extant  against 
the  confirmation  of  Van  Buren  to  the  Court  of  St. 
James,  the  removal  of  the  deposits,  in  favor  of  a 
protective  tariff,  the  re-charter  of  the  United  States 
Bank,  the  Revenue  Collection  Bill,  the  Ohio  Boundary 
question,  on  the  admission  of  Michigan,  and  on  vari 
ous  other  questions.  His  language  was  always  plain 
as  his  manner,  but  always  to  the  point.  His  man 
ner  and  style  were  between  those  of  Webster,  Davis, 
Preston,  and  Crittenden,  and  partook  of  some  and 
lacked  some  of  the  qualities  of  each.  In  a  word,  it 
seemed  like  that  of  a  man  who  says,  UI  am  going 
to  cut  that  tree  down  before  dinner,"  and  goes  syste 
matically  about  it. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  simply  neat  enough  in  his  dress 
to  show  that  observing  propriety  was  all  he  cared 
about,  and  paid  no  further  attention  to  it.  Such 
was  the  fact  with  nearly  all  the  prominent  men  of 
that  day.  Mr.  Van  Buren,  who  took  his  seat  as  Vice- 
President  in  1833,  was  the  most  fastidious  in  dress, 
rather  foppish  for  a  man  of  his  age,  but  he  had 
very  good  taste  in  adapting  colors  to  his  foxy  com 
plexion. 
11 


110       FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

At  the  expiration  of  bis  first  term,  the  Democracy 
being  in  the  ascendant,  Wm.  Allen  was  elected  in 
liis  place.  In  1841,  Gen.  Harrison  called  him  to  the 
head  of  the  Treasury  Department.  Harrison  dying 
at  the  end  of  a  month,  John  Tyler  became  Presi 
dent.  He  was  weak,  and  although  he  liad  said,  both 
publicly  and  privately,  before  and  after  his  inaugura 
tion,  that  he  should,  in  case  of  a  tie  in  the  Senate, 
vote  in  favor  of  the  charter  of  a  United  States  Bank, 
lie  announced  to  his  cabinet  that  he  would  only  si<m 

4/  O 

one  with  the  privilege  of  branches  in  the  States  con 
senting  thereto.  Mr.  Ewing  drafted  and  submitted 
a  bill  with  that  feature,  which  Mr.  Clay  and  his 
friends  rejected,  and  re-passed  the  old  bank  charter. 
This  was  vetoed  under  the  influence  of  the  Demo 
cracy  that  crowded  •  around  Tyler,  and  Mr.  Ewing, 
seeing  the  failure  of  Tyler's  administration,  resigned. 
This  was  done,  we  happen  to  know,  not  because  he 
justified  Congress  in  rejecting  the  bill  which  he  knew 
was  the  only  one  that  would  be  signed,  but  because 
he  knew  that  Mr.  Tyler  could  not  be  relied  on,  and 
the  swarm  of  toadies  that  had  Mr.  Tyler's  ear  de 
stroyed  his  influence  with  the  President. 

He  remained  in  private  life  from  1841  to  1849,  and 
few  men  so  perfectly  retained  the  respect  and  admira 
tion  of  the  people  of  the  country  as  he  did.  In 
1849,  he  was  at  once  selected  by  Gen.  Taylor  as  head 
of  the  Department  of  the  Interior — a  department  then 
being  organized,  and  the  heaviest  and  most  intricate 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       Ill 

in  our  government.  On  the  death  of  Gen.  Taylor 
and  the  incoming  of  Mr.  Fillmore.  he  a^ain  resigned, 

\TJ  '  o  o 

and  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy  in  the  Senate  oc 
casioned  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Corwin,  whose 
term  closed  in  1851,  when  Mr.  Ewing  retired  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  remained  until 
his  death. 

Mr.  Ewing's  resignation  of  his  position  in  Mr.  Fill- 
m  ore's  cabinet  and  his  opposition  to  the  Omnibus  Bill, 
which  failed,  and  to  the  Fugitive-slave  Bill  in  parti 
cular,  would  seem  to  indicate  an  opposition  to  Mr. 
Clay ;  but  they  were  firm  friends  until  Mr.  Clay's 
death.  Mr.  Clay  incorporated  the  Fugitive-slave  Bill 
in  his  omnibus  or  compromise  bill— it  being  drawn  by 
Mr.  Mason,  of  Virginia — because  it  was  the  only  mea 
sure  that  could  prevent  the  South  from  rebellion  at 
that  time,  and  to  preserve  the  Union.  Mr.  Clay  adopted 
it,  and  pushed  it  through  by  his  influence  with  the 
North.  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Ewing  regarded  the  bill  in 
the  same  light,  as  unconstitutional  and  perversive  of 
all  law  and  right,  and  Mr.  Ewing  refused  to  support 
it,  let  the  South  do  what  they  might.  Mr.  Clay  thought 
a  peaceful  union  required  any  sacrifice. 

In  the  analysis  of  Mr.  Ewing's  qualities,  we  find 
powerful  physical  development  aided  by  early  labor 
and  preserved  by  regular  and  correct  habits  and  prac 
tices  of  life,  an  affectionate  but  not  demonstrative 
feeling,  an  intellect  slow  and  cautious  to  work,  but- 
powerful  to  grasp  all  points,  and  a  sterling  and  un- 


112       FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

flinching  integrity  of  purpose  and  action.  He  was 
an  instructive  more  than  an  agreeable  and  pleasing 
conversationalist,  for  he  lacked  buoyancy  and  versa 
tility,  which  wrould  have  destroyed  his  usefulness  but 
for  his  unflinching  perseverance.  Fewr  men  are  more 
happy  in  their  family  relations  than  was  Mr.  Ewing, 
and  his  memory  will  long  be  cherished  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends,  and  revered  by  historians. 


DEATH   OF  I-ION.    THOMAS   EWING. 

Among  the  notable  events  of  this  period  that  his 
tory  will  record,  is  the  death  of  the  distinguished 
citizen  whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  this  brief 
notice. 

Thomas  Ewing  died  at  his  residence  in  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  on  Thursday,  the  20th  inst.,  at  the  age  of  about 
82  years.  On  Saturday,  the  28th,  his  remains  were 
committed  to  the  tomb  with  the  religious  ceremony 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  an  eloquent  address  and 
eulogy  pronounced  by  Archbishop  Purcell.  The  funeral 
was  attended  by  U.  S.  Senators  Sherman  and  Thurman, 
Governor  Hays  and  several  of  the  State  officers,  the 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  many  other  dis 
tinguished  gentlemen  from  adjacent  counties,  among 
whom  were  many  leading  members  of  the  bar.  Also, 
by  the  City  Council  of  the  city  of  Lancaster,  and  the 


FROM   THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  113 

judges  and  lawyers  of  the  county  in  a  body.  Among 
the  pall- bearers  were  Honorables  II.  II.  Hunter, 
Henry  Stanbery,  Gov.  R.  B.  Hayes,  A.  Or.  Thuruian, 
John  Sherman,  Henry  B.  Curtis,  Judge  Welch,  C.  B. 
Goddard,  John  II.  James,  Charles  Borland,  John  T. 
Brazee,  and  others — all  selected  from  his  life-time 
friends,  and  chiefly  from  the  bar  of  Fail-field  and 
other  counties  in  which  for  so  many  years  he  had 
labored  with  them,  in  the  same  profession. 

The  scene  was  very  impressive  as  the  great  crowd 
of  citizens  and  friends  filled  the  lawns  and  streets  in 
front  of  the  mansion,  and  pressed  their  way  in  long 
files  through  the  hall  and  room  where  the  remains 

O 

<>f  the  illustrious  deceased  were  reposing  in  state,  to 
take  a  last  look  of  one  so  much  beloved  for  his  pri 
vate  virtues  —  so  honored  for  his  distinguished  ser 
vices. 

All  the  immediate  members  of  the  deceased's  family 
were  present  at  his  death,  and  in  the  funeral  attend 
ance — among  whom  was  specially  noticeable  his  dis 
tinguished  son-in-law,  General  W.  T.  Sherman. 

Mr.  E wing's  family  was  formerly  from  Cumber 
land  County,  Kew  Jersey.  The  subject  of  this  notice 
was  born  near  the  village  of  West  Liberty,  Ohio 
County,  Va.  (now  West  Virginia),  on  the  28th  of  De 
cember,  1789.  His  parents  (having  lost  in  the  times 
of  the  Revolution  the  estate  inherited)  moved  to 
Ohio  in  April,  1792,  and  at  fir.st  settled  on  the  Musk- 
ingum  River,  but  subsequently  made  their  permanent 


114       FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

location  on  a  little  tract  of  land,  on  Federal  Creek,  in 
Athens  Count}r.  This  was  the  home  of  Mr.  Ewing's 
boyhood  days.  Here  by  the  side  of  his  father  he 
learned  to  work.  Here  he  toiled,  as  none  but  those 
who  have  experienced  like  disadvantages  can  appre 
ciate,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  that  learning  and 
knowledge  that  afterwards  adorned  the  court-room  and 

O 

the  forum,  and  held  listening  multitudes  in  rapt  at 
tention. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  emphatically  the  architect  of  his 
own  fortune.  Every  step  he  made  in  procuring  an 
education  was  sustained  by  the  earnings  of  his  own 
rustic  and  manual  labor.  And  when  at  last  he  at 
tained  his  collegiate  degree  of  A.B.,  he  carried  into 
the  study  of  his  future  profession,  and  in  his  subse 
quent  practice,  the  same  laborious  habits  of  applica 
tion  and  assiduity  of  study  that  are  ever  sure  to  win 
success.  He  was  called  to  the  bar  in  1817.  His 
early  practice  brought  him  into  forensic  contact  with 
the  Beechers,  the  Irwins,  the  Shermans,  Grangers,  Stan- 
berys,  Sillimans,  Swans,  and  McDowells  of  that  day 
— all  men  of  experience,  high  talent,  and  great  legal 
acumen.  But  the  mathematical  mind  and  trained 
habits  of  industry  of  the  young  lawyer  Ewing  were 
equal  to  the  demand,  and  he  soon  rose  to  command 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  court  and  bar,  wher 
ever  he  practised.  His  professional  engagements  soon 
made  a  circuit  for  him  embracing  a  range  of  counties 
extending  from  the  river  to  the  lakes;  but  more  es- 


FROM   THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  113 

pecially  for  liis  constant  and  regular  attendance  at  the 
terms  of  court,  besides  liis  own  county  of  Fail-field, 
the  counties  of  Muskingum,  Knox,  Licking,  Hocking, 
Athens,  Franklin,  Pickaway,  Jackson,  etc.  It  was  in 
this  broad  field,  and  as  a  county  court  lawyer,  that 
Mr.  Ewiug  established  his  great  fame  at  the  bar,  and 
placed  himself  acknowledgedly  at  the  head  of  his  pro 
fession  in  the  State  of  Ohio.  His  subsequent  career 
in  the  higher  courts  of  the  State,  and  in  the  Su- 

o 

preme  Court  of  the  United  States,  gave  him  the 
same  enviable  distinction  in  a  wider  sphere  of  use 
fulness. 

His  elevation  to  high  and  distinguished  political  or 
civil  positions  was  but  the  natural  fruit  and  result  of 
the  well-earned  fame  acquired  in  his  profession.  He 
was  no  tyro  when  he  entered  political  life.  He  graced 
the  positions  to  which  he  was  called  rather  than  re 
ceived  honor  from  them.  He  did  not  seek  office— 
but  was  called  to  it  by  the  demand  of  the  best  men 
of  the  times.  He  filled  one  full  term  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  from  1831  to  183T;  and  was  at  a  later 
period  appointed  to  fill  the  uuexpired  term  of  Thomas 
Corwin  in  the  same  body.  "There  were  giants  in 
those  days."  Mr.  Ewing  soon  stood,  not  only  the  com 
peer  in  rank,  but  in  talent,  influence,  and  acknowledged 
greatness,  the  equal  of  such  men  as  Clay,  Calhouu, 
Webster,  Benton,  Hayne,  Wright,  and  many  others  of 
that  period,  whose  master-minds  and  great  acts  have 
left  their  impress  upon  the  character  of  our  iustitn- 


116  FEOM    THE    NEWSPAPEKS    OF    THE    DAY. 

tions  and  the  history  of  our  country.  Nor  was  our 
deceased  friend  less  distinguished  as  a  public  minister 
in  the  several  Cabinets  of  Presidents  Harrison,  Tyler, 
Taylor,  and  Fillmore.  His  comprehensive  mind  and 
broad  and  liberal  views  looked  far  into  tlie  future,  and 
Lis  recommendations  were  always  marked  by  wisdom. 
We  cannot  extend  this  article — our  limits  forbid. 
We  will  close  with  the  remark  that  Mr.  Ewing's  pri 
vate  life  was  without  reproach.  Genial  in  disposition, 
cheerful  in  manners,  he  made  himself  loved  for  his 
goodness  of  heart,  as  well  as  respected  and  honored 
for  his  noble  qualities  of  mind.  To  him  may  justly 
be  applied  the  sentiment  best  expressed  in  his  own 
law  Latin : 

" Suaviter  ui  moclo,  fortiter  hi  re" 

B. 


THE     LATE    THOMAS    EWING. 


the  creat  men   of   Ohio  who  have  stood  in 

o 

the  front  rank  at  the  bar,  on  the  hustings,  and  in  the 
national  councils,  Thomas  Evnng  was  one  of  the  most 
eminent.  As  a  lawyer,  he  has  had  few  if  any  superiors 
in  the  United  States,  and  as  a  statesman,  he  has  received 
high  recognition  and  honor.  Having  a  physical  con 
stitution  of  rare  vigor,  he  retained  his  faculties  in  a 
remarkable  degree  beyond  the  age  of  fourscore.  Though 
a  victim  of  heart  disease  for  many  years,  it  was  but 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  117 

recently  that  there  were  any  decisive  signs  that  nature 
was  giving  way.  His  mind  was  clear  and  strong  to 
the  last.  For  a  week  past,  it  has  been  known  that 
his  end  must  "be  near.  At  his  old  residence  at  Lan 
caster,  with  all  his  children  about  him,  Mr.  Ewing 
passed  away  about  four  o'clock  last  evening. 

Thomas   Ewini?  was   born   near   the   town    of  West 

O 

Liberty,  Ohio  County,  now  West  Virginia,  on  the 
28th  of  December-,  1789.  His  father  had  been  a  soldier 
in  the  Revolution,  and  when  he  left  the  army  was 
possessed  of  little  property.  He  remained  in  Virginia, 
but  a  few  years  after  his  marriage,  having  removed 

«/  O     /  O 

in  1792  to  the  Muskingum  Valley,  when  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  less  than  three  years  old,  and,  not 
lono;  after,  to  lauds  seventeen  miles  northwest  of  the 

O  * 

frontier  settlements,  in  what  is  now  Athens  County. 
Here  Thomas  passed  his  youth,  on  a  farm  in  the 
wilds.  Having  been  instructed  in  reading  by  an  elder 
sister,  he  eagerly  perused  all  the  books  within  his 
reach,  and  acquired  an  inclination  for  the  career  after 
wards  pursued.  When  in  his  twentieth  year  he  left 
home — the  better  to  accomplish  his  wishes — and  was 
employed  in  the  Kauawha  salt-works,  where  he  saved 
money  enough,  in  two  or  three  years,  to  complete  the 
payment  for  his  father's  land,  leaving  a  surplus  with 
which  to  start  on  a  collegiate  course  at  the  Ohio  L"ni- 

O 

versity,  at  Athens.  He  was  the  first  to  receive  the 
Bachelor's  degree  at  that  institution,  in  1815. 

He    studied   law,   and    was   admitted   to    the  bar  at 


L3 


FROM    THE   NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAT. 

Lancaster  in  1816,  where  he  continued  to  reside,  prac 
tising  in  all  the  higher  courts,  with  the  eminent  success 
so  well  known.  In  1830,  he  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate,  taking  his  seat  the  following  year.  A 
Whig  in  politics,  he  co-operated  actively  with  Clay 
and  Webster  in  opposition  to  the  policy  of  Jackson. 
One  of  his  first  speeches  was  made  in  opposition  to 
the  confirmation  of  Martin  Van  Buren  as  Minister  to 
England.  lie  supported  the  protective  tariff  policy 
of  Clay,  advocated  a  reduction  of  the  rates  of  postage, 
a  recharter  of  the  National  Bank,  and  the  passage 
of  the  Force  Bill  as  a  remedy  for  nullification.  Among 
the  prominent  measures  with  which  he  was  identified 
during  this  term  of  senatorial  service  was  his  bill  for 
reorganizing  the  Post-Office  Department,  which  passed 
the  Senate  without  a  division  on  the  9th  of  February, 
1835,  though  it  was  lost  in  the  House.  The  Post 
master-General,  Barry,  soon  after  resigned,  and  the 
Department  was  reorganized  under  Amos  Kendall,  its 
head  beins;  raised  to  the  rank  of  a  Cabinet  Minister. 

O 

He  introduced  a  bill  for  the  settlement  of  the  Ohio 
Boundary  question,  which  passed  in  18  36,  and  was 
author  of  the  act  for  reorganizing  the  General  Laud 
Office,  which  became  a  law  the  same  year.  He  pre 
sented  a  petition  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  insisting 
that  it  ought  to  be  received,  though  he  was  opposed 
to  the  views  of  the  memorialists.  He  also  took  a 
leading  part  in  the  discussion  of  the  once  famous 
';  specie  circular,'1  issued  by  Levi  Woodbury,  Secretary 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       110 

of  the  Treasury,  in   July,    1836,   and    which  was  long 
an  exciting  topic  throughout  the  country. 

Mr.  Ewing  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  1837,  on  the  expiration  of  his  senatorial  term.  He 
was  selected  by  President  Harrison,  in  1840,  as  Secre 
tary  of  the  Treasury,  and  continued  in  that  office 
under  Mr.  Tyler  until  September  of  that  year,  when 
nil  the  Cabinet  officers,  except  Webster,  resigned. 
President  Taylor,  on  coining  into  office  in  1849,  ap 
pointed  Mr.  Ewing  as  Secretary  of  the  new  Depart 
ment  of  the  Interior,  which  was  as  yet  unorganized. 
Ao-ain  the  deatli  of  a  President  terminated  his  cabinet 

O 

service,   having    resigned    on    Mr.    Fillmore's   assumiiK" 

'  O  O  O 

the  Executive  chair,,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1850. 

After  filling  out  the  unexpired  term  of  Mr.  Corwin, 
who  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate  to  become  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  Mr.  Ewing  retired  to  Lancaster  in 
1851,  since  which  time,  almost  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
he  had  been  actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession. 

In  public  and  private  life,  Mr.  Ewing  was  a  man 
of  integrity,  determined  in  his  purposes,  powerful  as 
a  friend  or  as  an  antagonist,  dignified  yet  genial  in 
his  bearing,  strong  but  not  hasty  in  his  impulses, 
and  firmly  attached  to  what  he  deemed  the  "  good 
old  ways,"  in  preference  to  change  in  the  name  of  pro 
gress.  A  few  days  since,  he  was  received  into  the 
communion  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  to  which 
his  family  belong.  He  retained  his  mental  powers  with 


120       FEOM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

great  clearness  to  the   last,   and   quietly   sank    to   rest 
from  his  prolonged  earthly  career. 


[Toledo  Commercial.] 

HON.   THOMAS  EWING-. 

The  despatches  of  Thursday  night  announced  the 
death  of  this  eminent  Ohio  jurist  and  statesman.  He 
died  at  half-past  three  o'clock  on  the  26th  inst.,  at  his 
residence  in  Lancaster,  of  heart  disease,  or  an  accumula 
tion  of  fatty  matter  about  the  heart — a  disease  which 
has  prostrated  him  on  several  occasions  during  the  past 
ten  years.  He  was  nearly  eighty-two  years  of  age,  and 
died" with  all  his  children  and  many  other  members  of 
his  family  around  him,  and  with  his  mind  clear  and 
vigorous  to  the  last.  For  more  than  a  generation  past 
he  has  filled  a  large  space  in  the  public  eye,  and  has 
been  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  jurists  of  his  time, 
and  as  a  statesman  is  to  be  ranked  in  the  category  with 
Clay  and  Webster,  with  whom  he  long  served  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation. 

Mr.  Ewiug  was  born  in  Ohio  County.  Virginia, 
on  the  28th  day  of  December,  1789.  His  father  had 
taken  part  in  the  struggle  for  American  Independence, 
and  in  1792,  owing  to  his  reduced  circumstances,  he 
removed  to  Ohio  and  settled  in  Athens  County.  An 
elder  sister  taught  the  boy  Thomas  to  read,  who,  until 
liis  twentieth  year,  labored  on  his  father's  farm  and  read 
books  at  night  by  the  light  of  a  hickorv  fire.  He  then 

O  */  v 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       121 

left  home  and  worked  two  or  three  years  in  the 
Kanawha  salt-works,  and  until  he  had  accumulated  a 
sufficient  sum  to  pay  for  his  father's  farm  and  to  enable 
him  to  enter  the  Ohio  University,  where  he  took  the 
degree  of  A.B.,  being  the  first  graduate  of  the  institu 
tion.  He  was  emphatically  the  architect  of  his  own 
fame  and  fortune ;  and,  in  addition  to  acquiring  a 
collegiate  education  and  a  profession,  he  had  the  purpose 
and  strength,  amid  his  early  struggles  and  privations,  to 
purchase  a  farm  for  his  father,  and  place  the  family 
in  comfortable  circumstances.  He  "  honored  his  father 
and  his  mother,"  and  he  has,  in  turn,  been  honored 
by  his  children,  and  his  days  have  been  "  long  in 
the  land,"  in  strict  fulfilment  of  the  promise — a  lesson, 
by  the  by,  which  should  not  be  lost  upon  young 
men  struggling  against  adverse  circumstances.  Nor 

OO  ^3  O 

need  such  envy  the  more  fortunate  who  have  their 
way  paid  through  college,  and  frequently  through 
life.  It  is  out  of  such  early  struggles  and  privations 
that  giants  like  Ewing  come.  Mr.  Ewing  studied 
law  with  Philemon  Beecher,  a  distinguished  lawyer 
of  his  day.  at  Lancaster,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  18 1C.  His  attention  is  said  to  have  been  turned 
to  the  law  during  his  boyhood.  On  one  occasion  (so 
the  story  runs)  he  was  driving  his  father's  ox -team 
by  the  court-house,  in  which  an  important  case  was 
being  tried.  He  stopped  the  team  and  entered  the 
court-room,  where  he  remained  to  hear  the  argument 
which  the  counsel  made  in  behalf  of  the  prisoner. 


122  FROM    THE    1STEWSPAPEES    OF    THE    DAY. 

He  was  struck  with  the  imperfectnesa  of  the  defence, 
and,  remarking  that  he  could  make  a  better  plea  him 
self,  went  out  with  the  determination  to  become  a  lawyer. 
During  his  early  years  at  the  bar,  Mr.  Ewing  was 
distinguished  as  a  hard  student,  and  his  close  appli 
cation  to  his  books  became  a  jest  among  the  good- 
natured  lawyers  of  those  days,  who  rode  from  county 
to  county  on  horseback,  and  trusted  more  to  "in 
spiration  "  than  to  study  for  their  success  at  the  bar. 
He  was  not  one  of  those  who  trusted  to  his  "  genius 51 
to  see  him  through,  and  hence  he  was  always  prepared, 
and  nearly  always  successful.  He  was  distinguished 
as  much  for  the  thoroughness  of  his  legal  knowledge 

O  O  * — ' 

as  for  his  legal  grasp  and  acumen ;  and  it  is  said  that,  on 
one  occasion,  when  he  had  an  important  case  to  prepare, 
he  shut  himself  up  in  his  room  and  remained  there 
an  entire  week,  and  until  he  had  mastered  the  case. 
Another  "  moral "  which  is  pointed  by  his  career  is 
that  great  and  permanent  success  is  achieved  only  by 
hard  labor.  This  is,  perhaps,  still  more  strikingly  illus 
trated  in  the  career  of  his  early  associate  in  the  law, 
the  now  distinguished  Hocking  H.  Hunter,  who  failed 

O  O  ' 

at  first  in  several  attempts  to  practise  law,  and  returned 
to  manual  labor;  but,  having  faith  in  himself  and 
in  hard  study,  he  again  took  up  the  law,  and  has 
pushed  his  way  to  that  "top  story"  in  which  Mr. 
Webster  remarked  that  there  was  "  always  room.1' 

Mr.    Ewing   was   undoubtedly    a   great    man,  so    far 
as  greatness  consists  in  massive  power ;    but  his  chief 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       123 

eminence  was  in  the  law,  and  bis  special  power  or 
forte  lay  in  real-estate  cases.  By  liis  success  in  some 
of  these,  he  acquired  the  title  to  lands  of  great  value. 
Not  the  least  among  his  important  real-estate  cases, 
and  in  which  he  prepared  elaborate  arguments,  was 
that  of  Oliver  v.  Piatt  ft  aL,  involving  the  title  to 

i  O 

a  large  part  oi?  Toledo. 

Mr.  Swing's  legal  opinion,  was  constantly  sought  and 
liberally  paid  for  from  all  parts  of  the  country.  Pie  was 
one  of  the  most  trusted  advisers  of  President  Lincoln  in 
matters  of  public  policy,  as  well  as  upon  points  of  law, 
and  his  despatch  to  the  President  stating  the  law  in  the 
Mason-Slidell  case  will  be  remembered.  Within  the 
limits  of  an  ordinary  business  despatch,  he  gave  the 
whole  law  of  the  case  in  the  following  words :  "  There 
can  be  no  contraband  of  war  in  a  neutral  bottom  going 
from  one  neutral  port  to  another." 

As  a  statesman,  Mr.  Ewing  has  always  been  ranked 
as  a  conservative.  He  has  never  been  recognized  as  one 
of  the  a  earnest  "  or  "  progressive  "  men  of  his  time ;  yet 
his  record  shows  that  during  his  second  term  in  the 

O 

United  States  Senate  (from  1850  to  1851)  he  refused  to 
vote  for  the  Fugitive-slave  Law,  helped  to  defeat  Mr. 
Clay's  Compromise  Bill,  and  advocated  the  abolition  of 
slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  During  his  first 
Senatorial  term  (from  1831  to  1837),  he  was  associated 
with  Clay  and  AVebster  in  resisting  Executive  encroach 
ments,  and  he  supported  the  protective  tariff  system  of 
Mr.  Clay. 


12-i  FEOM    THE    NEWSPAPEB3    OF    THE    DAY. 

In  massive  strength,  physical  and  intellectual,  lie  was 
the  peer  of  Webster ;  and  the  two  giants  agreed  mainly 
in  their  views  of  public  policy.  But  Mr.  Ewing  lacked 
the  oratorical  grace  and  power  of  Webster,  and  compen 
sated  for  this  by  greater  independence  and  a  more 
rugged  self-respect.  He  lacked  also  the  qualities  of  a 
popular  leader,  and  his  career  as  a  statesman  has  been 
one  of  influence  rather  than  of  power.  In  other  word?, 
he  has  not  held  the  public  positions  which  give  men 
power,  but  has  exerted  a  vast  influence  over  those  who 
did  hold  such  positions.  He  voted  twice  for  Mr.  Lincoln, 
and  during  the  war  was  one  of  the  chief  Aarons  who  up 
held  the  hands  of  the  Presidential  Moses,  until  the  sun 
set  upon  a  conquered  Kebellion. 

In  March,  1831,  Mr.  Ewing  took  his  seat  in  the 
United  States  Senate,  where  he  remained  until  1837. 
During  this  term  he  opposed  the  confirmation  of  Mr. 
Van  Buren  as  Minister  to  England ;  supported  the  pro 
tective  tariff  system  of  Mr.  Clay ;  advocated  a  reduction 
of  postage,  and  secured  a  reorganization  of  the  Post-Office 
Department ;  advocated  the  re-charter  of  the  IT.  S.  Bank, 
and  opposed  the  removal  of  the  deposits,  by  President 
Jackson ;  procured  the  passage  of  a  bill  settling  the 
much-vexed  Ohio  Boundary  question  (out  of  which  grew 
the  famous  "  Toledo  War ");  and  another  reorganizing 
the  General  Land  Office.  He  also  opposed  the  admission 
of  Michigan  into  the  Union,  and  the  granting  of  pre 
emption  rights  to  settlers  on  the  public  lands. 

Mr.   Ewing  took   an  active  part  in  the  campaign  of 


FROM   THE   NEWSPAPERS    OF   THE   DAY.  125 

1840,  and  achieved  a  national  reputation  as  a  stump 
orator  under  the  name  of  the  "  Old  Salt-Boiler."  Gen. 
Harrison  rewarded  him  by  a  seat  in  the  Cabinet,  where 
he  remained  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  under  Tyler 
until  the  latter  forfeited  the  confidence  of  the  Whigs, 
when,  with  all  the  other  members,  except  Mr.  Webster, 
Mr.  Ewinc;  resigned.  On  the  accession  of  General 

O  O 

Taylor  to  the  Presidency,  Mr.  Ewing  was  again  called 
to  the  Cabinet;  this  time  as  Secretary  of  the  Interior, 
which  department  he  organized.  When  Mr.  Fillmore 
succeeded  General  Taylor,  a  change  was  made  in  the 
Cabinet,  Mr.  Ewinsj  retiring,  but  taking  in  the  Senate 

/  o  o/  o 

the  place  of  Mr.  Corwin,  who  was  called  to  the  Cabinet, 
as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury.  Mr.  Ewing  filled  the  mi- 
expired  term  of  Mr.  Corwin,  and  with  the  close  of  this 
term  (in  1851)  his  official  career  virtually  ended.  He 
was  a  Member  of  the  Peace  Congress  in  1861,  and,  as 
before  stated,  a  warm  supporter  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  adminis 
tration  ;  but,  with  his  whole  family,  he  favored  the 
reconstruction  policy  of  President  Johnson,  and  found 
himself,  after  so  many  years  of  sturdy  and  uncompromis 
ing  opposition,  in  action,  if  not  in  sympathy,  with  the 
Democratic  party. 

For  ten  years  Mr.  Ewing  wras  recognized  as  the  lead 
ing  man  of  the  Whig  party  in  Ohio,  being  their  only 
representative  in  the  United  States  Senate  between  1831 
and  1845.  It  was  quite  natural  under  the  circumstances 
that  when,  in  the  winter  of  1844-5,  his  party  again  had 
the  choice  of  a  Senator,  he  should  expect  to  be  returned 

16 


126  FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF   THE    DAY. 

and  so  be  would  Lave  been,  but  for  the  fact  that  in  the 
meantime  a  competitor  for  partisan  favor  stronger  in  the 
elements  of  personal  popularity  appeared  to  dispute  his 
claim.  This  was  the  distinguished  "Tom  Corvvin,"  who, 
from  his  nomination  for  Governor  in  February,  18-40,  be 
came  the  idol  of  his  party.  His  more  popular  oratory 
and  greater  personal  magnetism  were  not  long  in  putting 
"  Tom,  the  Wagoner  Boy,1'  in  the  place  of  the  u  Old 
Salt-Boiler."  In  1848,  Mr.  Ewing  was  within  a  single 
vote  of  being  the  Whig  nominee  for  Vice-President,  in 
place  of  Mr.  Fillmore,  as  he  also  was  in  1850  of  being 
the  Senator  instead  of  Ben.  Wade.  With  this  latter 
defeat,  and  the  close  of  the  fraction  of  a  term  he  was 
then  serving  in  the  Senate,  his  political  aspirations 
probably  ceased. 

As  a  man,  Mr.  Ewing  was  as  pure  as  he  was  great. 
He  had    none  of  the  vices    nor    distinguishing  "  weak- 

o  ~ 

nesses"  of  great  men,  and  in  his  domestic  relations 
was  most  fortunate  and  happy.  He  was  married,  in 
1820,  to  Maria,  daughter  of  Hugh  Boyle,  of  Lancaster, 
who  was  a  devout  adherent  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  distinguished  in  the  church  for  her  piety  and 
charity.  It  is  said  of  Mr.  Ewin^  that  in  the  early  part 

«/  O  «/      J- 

of  his  legal  career,  when  he  was  frequently  away  at 
tending  court,  he  would  ride  forty  or  fifty  miles 
on  Saturday  and  Saturday  night,  in  order  to  be 
at  home  on  Sunday  to  attend  church  with  his 

family. 

«/ 

The  children  of  Mr.  Ewing,  we  believe,  are  all  living, 


FROM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY.       127 

and  are  an  exception  to  the  general  rule,  inasmuch  as 
they  have  inherited  the  brains  as  well  as  the  name  of 
their  father.  General  Thomas  E\ving,  Jr.,  was  dis 
tinguished  during  the  war  as  the  hero  of  Pilot  Knob, 

O  O 

and  his  name  has  recently  been  before  the  people  of 
this  State  as  the  choice  of  the  Democracy  for  Gover 
nor,  though  lie  was  defrauded  of  the  nomination  by 
the  friends  of  Mr.  McCook.  General  IIusjli  Ewino; 

»-j  O 

served   through   the   war.    and    was    Minister    to    the 

O  ' 

Habile    under   Johnson.     General   Charles   Ewino;  took 

O  O 

an  active  part  in  the  war,  and  is  one  of  the  noblest 
Swings  of  them  all.  Jud«;e  Philemon  Beecher  Ewino; 

O  ~  O 

has  been  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  dur 
ing  which  service  he  was  distinguished  for  the  clear- 

O  O 

ness  and  correctness  of  his  decisions.  Mrs.  General 
Sherman  and  Mrs.  Colonel  Steele  are  both  distin 
guished  in  private  life  for  superior  culture  and  char 
acter.  Mr.  Ewing  has  been  frequently  charged  by 
his  neighbors  with  having  possessed  inordinate  family 
pride.  Probably  the  fact  that  there  was  such  good 
ground  for  this  pride,  gave  rise  to  the  charge.  He 
was  most  happy  in  his  domestic  relations,  and  proba 
bly  no  father  was  ever  more  beloved  and  respected  by 
his  children.  He  had  a  tender  regard  for  their  happi 
ness.  He  was  profoundly  versed  in  all  the  nobler 
literature,  his  chief  delight  being  in  Shakespeare  and 
Milton,  in  whose  works  he  was  in  the  habit  of  drilling 
his  children. 

The   public   will   be   glad  to  learn  that   some   years 


128        FKOM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

since,  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  children,  Mr.  Ewing 
commenced  an  autobiography,  whicli  is  understood  to 
have  been  brought  down  to  a  recent  time;  but  how 

O  r 

complete  it  may  be,  we  are  not  able  to  state.  Such 
a  work  would  constitute  a  valuable  contribution  to 
the  history  of  the  State  and  the  country. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  nearly  the  last  of  those  eminent 
lawyers  who  once  made  the  Lancaster  bar  famous,  as 
he  was  also  nearly  the  last  of  those  political  giants 
of  a  former  era  who  have  had  much  to  do  in  shaping 
the  public  opinion  and  the  legislation  of  the  present 
time.  Ohio  has  had  more  successful  politicians,  but  no 
greater  statesman  and  jurist  than  Thomas  Ewing. 

A.  P.  M. 


SWING'S    FOTEKAL. 

On  Saturday,  October  23,  1871,  the  remain 3  of  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Ewing  were  consigned  to  their  last  resting- 
place. 

The  occasion  calls  for  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a 
great  and  virtuous  man,  and  those  surrounding  him. 
It  was  the  last  shadow  closing  the  eternal  sunset  of 
a  brilliant  life — one  that  had  begun  with  all  the  hard 
ships  and  trials  of  a  friendless  pioneer — one  that  without 
wealth  or  friends  had  gathered  in  the  wild  woods,  or 
by  the  lonely  cabin  fire,  a  lore  and  a  mental  strength 
that  made  him  the  peer  of  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun, 


FROM   THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  1*29 

or  any  other  leader  of  a  later  day.  It  wai  tlie  fune 
ral  of  a  great  statesman — one  that  liad  left  upon  his 
country's  history  a  name  and  character  that  shall  remain 
"  ages  after  each  of  us  have  passed  away  for  ever "  ; 
and  in  offering  the  last  solemn  lionors  to  his  remains, 

O  ' 

there  "  were  collected  together  the  captains  of  armies, 
the  leaders  of  parties,  the  oracles  of  senates,  and  the 
ornaments  of  courts." 

And  there  present,  too,  were  unknown  men  belonging 
to  the  early  history  of  the  State — men  who  had  heard 
the  wild  wolf  howl  and  the  Indian  yell  while  redeeming 
Ohio  from  the  forest  and  the  savasjs:  and  the  living 

O        '  O 

leaders  of  the  present  were  joined  at  the  funeral  to  the 
historic  past  by  many  a  decrepit  form  in  the  "  sere 
and  yellow"  belonging  to  a  generation  fast  passing 
away. 

There,  too,  were  the  grand  old  apostles  of  Catholicity 
in  the  West — Archbishop  Purcell  and  Rev.  Dominic 
Young — cheering  the  mournful  farewell  to  the  illus- 

O  O 

trious    dead    with    the    sweet    consolations    of  religion, 

O  f 

and   uniting   the   historic   memories  of  Ohio  with   the 

O 

teachings  published  to  wandering  Judea  by  the  light 
nings  of  Sinai,  and  leading  to  lionors  not  evanescent 

O  O 

and  to  monuments  not  made  by  human  hands.  For 
more  than  fifty  years  the  three  had  been  friends,  and 
they  were  at  his  bedside  in  his  dyino;  momants  to 

»/  */          O 

"guide  his  wandering  spirit  home." 

When  Ewing  was  entering  upon  his  remarkable 
career,  and  at  a  time  when  little  of  convenience  and 


130  FEOM   THE    1YEWSPAPEKS    OF   THE    DAY. 

nothing  of  luxury  was  known  in  our  State,  the  vener 
able  Archbishop  was  devoting  his  life  to  the  service 
of  Heaven.  As  Bishop,  he  had  often  travelled  on  horse 
back  through  our  county  and  Southern  Ohio,  often 
uncertain  in  the  morning  whether  he  would  have  more 
than  the  bare  ground  for  his  couch  at  night,  content 
with  corn-bread  and  venison  for  his  evening  repast, 
and  the  cabin  floor  for  his  bed.  Like  those  from  whom 
his  mitre  descended  to  him,  he  was  truly  an  apostle, 
and  asked  nothing  from  this  world,  and  truly  lived 
the  "meek  and  lowly"  life  that  was  taught  by  Him 
who  died  to  save  mankind. 

And  old  Father  Dominic — the  one  before  whom 
the  dead  statesman  had  plighted  eternal  love  to  his 
sainted  wife,  long,  long  years  before — was  at  his  dying 
bedside  to  plight  his  departing  spirit  to  its  eternal 
Source.  He,  too,  is  one  of  the  historic  characters  that 
are  so  fast  leaving  us  —  one  that  our  citizens  here 

O 

may  well  cherish  as  a  "  father  in  Israel "-  —the  one 
that  first  carried  his  creed  from  Catholic  Maryland 
to  the  then  wilderness  of  Ohio.  Him  we  claim  as 
our  own,  in  character  and  career.  More  than  fifty  years 
ago  he  planted  the  cross  where  St.  Joseph's  now  is 
— the  first  pioneer  of  the  Catholic  faith  that  followed 
the  French  missionaries  of  the  last  century.  At  that 
time  there  was  not  a  Catholic  church  in  the  State. 
He  saw  the  Indians  and  the  wild  wolf  and  deer 
for  ever  abandon  the  country;  he  saw  and  shared 
with  the  early  settler,  half  hunter  and  half  farmer, 


FROM    THE    NEWSPAPERS    OF    THE    DAY.  131 

in  Ills  hard  struggle  with  the  wilderness;  like  the 
venerable  Archbishop,  he  travelled  many  a  day  through 
pathless  forests,  on  a  mission  of  love,  that  extended 
almost  from  Vincennes  to  the  Muskingum.  His  was 

O 

not  merely  a  life  of  teaching;  it  was  also  a  manual 
struggle,  axe  in  hand,  to  conquer  a  home  for  his 
people.  Many  a  time  did  he  put  his  shoulder  to 
the  IOQT  at  raising  the  settler's  cabin,  and  at  roll  in  ir 

o  o  o 

the  loirs  in  the  "clearing." 

^  O 

Piety  at  this  day  never  comes  in  connection  with 
such  matters:  it  etherealizes  exclusively  by  theories. 

He  built  a  cabin  church  at  St.  Joseph's,  and  placed 
upon  it  the  first  bell  that  rung  west  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  and  it  is  preserved  there  still. 

And  these  three  brave  old  men  were  together  for  the 
last  time ;  one  dead,  the  others  to  bestow  the  last  and 
holiest  attentions  that  friendship  can  offer. 

And  all  had  been  successful — all  had  lived  to  realize 
their  dreams  of  youth  when  each  was  beginning.    Ewing 
had  bid  the  torch-light  and  cabin  fire  bring  him  power 
and  fame,  and  they  came  at  his  command. 
•   Purcell  and  Youno;  had  asked  of  Him  who  rules  all 

O 

things  to  build  up  His  altar  in  the  wilderness,  and 
it  was  built.  " The  wilderness  blossome:!  as  the  rose"; 
their  altars  and  followers  became  almost  numberless. 
Bigotry  and  superstition,  were  consigned  to  times 
long  gone,  and  their  illustrious  friend,  now  dead, 
had  come  to  believe  as  thev  believed,  and  to  'die 

J 

as  they  would  wish  to  die. 


132        FEOM  THE  NEWSPAPERS  OF  THE  DAY. 

In  those  funeral  rites  was  a  panorama  of  all  there 
can  be  of  poetry,  religion,  and  history. 

These  friends  of  a  long  life,  these  companions  of 
many  a  suffering  hour — the  priest  that  had  blessed 
the  marriage-vow,  when  young,  of  the  statesman  of 
fourscore,  and  had  cheered  his  fainting  spirit  over 
death's  dark  waters;  the  pioneers  of  Western  civili 
zation  and  the  rulers  of  to-day,  with  the  fame  of  the 
mighty  dead  around  them ;  the  triumphant  present 
and  the  momentous  past — all  Jinked  together,  and 
listening  to  the  De  Profundis  as  it  had  been  chanted 
over  the  dead  long  before  the  Western  world  was 
known. 

So  passes  away  all  there  is  of  life — so,  like  a  drop 
in  the  ocean,  or  a  snow-flake  in  the  avalanche,  never 
to  be  known  again,  each  generation  is  lost  to  the  rest. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL 

OF  LANCASTER,  OHIO. 


[Ohio  Eagle.] 

IN  MEMORIAM. 

Hox.  THOMAS  EWIXG  departed  this  life  a  few  days 
since,  in  Lancaster,  O.  He  graduated  in  1815,  receiving 

O  /  O 

the  first  degree  given  by  the  Oliio  University,  that  of 
A.B.,  when  few  students  and  fewer  universities  claimed 
a  place  in  the  new  West. 

Of  his  college  career  we  know  but  little;  yet  we  know, 
of  a  truth,  that  his  difficulties  were  many,  his  conflicts 
were  fierce,  and  if  his  life  was  a  success,  lie  merits  credit. 

But   Thomas   E \vinsfs   work   is   ended.      His    fittest 

O 

monument  is  the  institutions  of  our  country,  whicli  he 
strove  to  perpetuate,  and  the  inscription  thereon : 

LlBEETAS  ET  NATALE  SoLUM. 

At  a  recent  session  of  the  Athenian  Literary  Society 
of  the  Ohio  University,  the  following  resolutions  were 
adopted : 

WHEREAS,  This  Society  has  heard  with  deep  sorrow 
the  announcement  of  the  death  of  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing, 
one  of  its  most  venerable  members  ;  therefore, 

17 


134  PEOCEEDIXGS    OF    THE 

Hesolvedj  That  in  his  death  we  lose  an  honored  mem 
ber,  and  the  nation  sustains  an  irreparable  loss. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  testimony  of  respect  for  his 
memory,  we  drape  our  hall  in  mourning  for  thirty  days. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  published  in  the 
Athens  and  Lancaster  papers,  and  a  copy  be  sent  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased. 

A.  B.  RlCIIAEDSOX, 

E.  M.  JACKSOX, 
D.  C.  CASTO, 

Oct.  30,  1871.  Committee. 


CITY  CLEEK'S  OFFICE,  LANCASTEE,  O., 
October  30,  1871. 

To  tlie  Family  of  tlie  Hon.  Thomas  Ewincj  : 

In  pursuance  of  the  resolution  of  the  Council  of  this 
city,  I  herewith  furnish  you  with  a  copy  of  their  proceed 
ings  of  the  27th  inst.  relative  to  the  death  of  your 
lamented  and  beloved  father. 

COUNCIL  CHAMBEE  OF  THE  CITY  OF  LANCASTEE, 
October  27,  A.D.  1871. 

Council  met  pursuant  to  a  call  of  the  President. 

Members  present — John  L.  Tuthill,  Hugh  Cannon,  P. 
M.  Wagenhals,  George  Hood,  H.  W.  Bevelling,  Jacob 
Walter,  James  Weaver,  James  Henley. 


CITY    COUNCIL    OF    LANCASTER,  OHIO.  135 

On  motion,  the  reading  of  the  minutes  was  dispensed 
with. 

-  Dr.  P.  M.  Wagenhals  moved  that  a  committee  of  three 
be  appointed  to  draft  resolutions  expressive  of  the  sense 
of  this  Council  as  to  the  death  of  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Ewing. 

o 

Thereupon  the  President  appointed  the  following  com 
mittee  : 

P.  M.  Wagenhals,  Jacob  Walter,  and  Hugh  Cannon. 

The  Committee  reported  the  following,   viz. : 

"  Ohio's  greatest  and  ruoblest  is  no  more !  Thomas 
Ewing  died  yesterday.  More  than  fourscore  were 
his,  yet  his  eye  was  not  dimmed  nor  his  mental  vigor 
abated,  until  l  the  silver  cord  of  life  was  loosed '  and  '  the 
golden  bowl  was  broken.' 

"  In  early  manhood  he  came  among  us,  and  with  the 
interests  of  our  city  he  has  been  identified  for  more  than 
fifty  years.  He  was  our  nation's  wisest  counsellor,  and 
in  her  peril  was  her  ardent  and  determined  friend.  He 
lived  to  see  the  enemies  of  our  country  vanquished,  and 
rejoiced  in  their  discomfiture  and  dismay.  Ever  loyal, 
ever  true,  ever  just  to  his  country,  he  fell  after  the 
sanguinary  strife  was  over,  after  the  wounds  inflicted  had 
been  healed,  and  with  his  closing  eyes  beheld  our 
country's  standard  high  advanced  and  reverenced  every 
where. 

11  Resolved,  That  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Lan 
caster  will  attend  the  funeral  of  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing, 
deceased,  on  Saturday,  28th  inst. 


136  CITY    COUNCIL    OF    LANCASTER,  OHIO. 

"Resolved,  That  the  Council  of  the  city  recommend 
the  suspension  of  all  business  from  11  A.M.  until  1  P.M.  on 
Saturday,  28th  instant,  and  that  the  City  Clerk  be  in 
structed  to  issue  circulars  to  that  effect  immediately. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  City  Clerk  be  instructed  to  fur 
nish  a  copy  of  the  above  proceedings  to  the  family  of 
the  deceased. 

"Resolved^  That  the  editors  of  the  State  be  requested 
to  publish  in  their  respective  papers  the  above  pro 
ceedings. 

"  P.  M.  WAGENIIALS, 
JACOB  WALTER, 
HUGH  CANNON, 

Committee.'1'' 

Oil  motion,  That  when  the  Council  adjourn,  it  adjourn 
to  meet  at  the  Council  Chamber  at  half-past  ten  o'clock 
A.M.,  and  that  they  attend  the  funeral  of  the  Hon. 
Thomas  Ewing  in  a  body. 

On  motion,  Council  adjourned. 

JOHN  L.  TUTIIILL,  Attest :      W.  L.  KING, 

President.  City  Clerk. 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  BAR. 


PROCEEDINGS     OF    THE     BAR 

Of  Lancaster,  OJiio,  on  the  Occasion  of  the  Deaili   of 
Hon.  Thomas  Ewing. 

Immediately  on  the  organization  of  Court,  the  death, 
on  the  26th  of  this  month,  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing, 
late  a  member  of  this  Bar,  was  announced  by  Hon.  H. 
H.  Hunter,  who  presented  the  proceedings  of  the  Lan 
caster  Bar  in  that  regard,  and  moved  that  the  same 

O  / 

be  spread  on  the  journal  of  the  Court. 

It  was  thereupon  ordered  by  the  Court,  that  said 
proceedings,  and  also  the  addresses  of  Mr.  Hunter 
and  others  on  the  occasion,  be  placed  on  the  journal 
in  full. 

The  proceedings  and  addresses  are  as  follows,  to 
wit  : 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Bar  of  Lancaster,  at  the  office 

O  / 

of  the  Clerk  of  our  Common  Pleas  Court,  on  Friday 
evening,  October  27,  1871,  to  consider  suitable  formal 
action  to  be  taken  by  its  members  in  relation  to  the 
decease  and  obsequies  of  their  late  distinguished  and 
honored  professional  exemplar,  the  Honorable  Thomas 
Ewing,  all  the  members  of  the  Bar  were  present. 
An  organization  was  formed  by  calling  Hon.  H. 


138  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

II.  Hunter  to  the  chair,  and  appointing  Tall  Slough 
secretary. 

Hon.  C.  D.  Martin  moved  the  appointment  of  a 
committee,  to  be  named  by  the  meeting,  to  draft  ap 
propriate  resolutions  in  memory  of  the  deceased,  which 
motion  was  adopted.  The  following  gentlemen  were 
selected  to  constitute  that  committee,  viz. :  Hon.  H. 
H.  Hunter,  lion.  John  T.  Brasee,  Hon.  P.  Van  Trump, 
Hon.  M.  A.  Daugherty,  John  D.  Martin,  Esq.,  "VVm. 
P.  Creed,  Esq.,  and  Hon.  C.  D.  Martin. 

On  motion  of  John  S.  Brasee,  Esq.,  it  was  resolved 
that,  when  this  meeting  adjourn,  it  adjourn  to  meet 
at  the  Court  House  on  next  Monday  morning  at  ten 
o'clock. 

On  motion  of  \V.  P.  Creed,  Esq.,  the  committee  on 
resolutions  was  instructed  to  report  to  the  adjourned 
meeting,  and  that  the  proceedings  of  the  Bar  be  pre 
sented  to  j'the  Court  by  the  Hon.  II.  H.  Hunter, 
and  that,  in  connection  therewith,  Mr.  Hunter,  the 
intimate  friend  and  professional  associate  of  the  de 
ceased,  pronounce  an  eulogium  upon  his  life  and 
character. 

K.  Fritter,  Esq.,  moved  that  the  Lancaster  Bar,  in 
a  body,  attend  the  funeral  of  the  deceased;  which 
motion  prevailed. 

On    motion    of    John    S.    Brasee,    the     meeting    ad- 

/  o 

journed. 

Monday  morning,  ten  o'clock,  Bar  meeting  convened, 
pursuant  to  adjournment. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

The  committee  on  resolutions  submitted  the  fol 
lowing  report,  which  was  adopted,  viz. : 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Thomas  Ewing, 
the  members  of  the  Lancaster  Bar,  which  he  so  long 
adorned,  have  lost  not  only  an  exemplar  of  every 
forensic  excellence  and  of  every  professional  virtue, 
but  also  a  friend  who,  by  his  uniform  kindness  to 
his  brethren,  had  won  the  affection  of  every  heart. 

"Resolved,  That  while  his  pre-eminent  ability  as  a 
jurist  was  recognized  throughout  the  State  and  the 
nation,  his  co-laborers  in  the  field  of  his  early  efforts 
and  of  many  of  his  triumphs,  who  knew  well  his 
powers  and  his  methods,  and  were  familiar  with  his 
every-day  professional  life,  bear  willing  testimony  to 
the  solid  and  varied  learning,  the  vast  mental  resources, 
the  honest  and  untiring  zeal,  and  the  chivalric  bearing 
at  the  bar,  which  fully  entitled  him  to  the  almost 
unequalled  fame  which  crowned  his  professional  career. 

"Resolved,  That  these  qualities  which  graced  him 
as  a  lawyer,  combined  with  a  natural  aptitude  for 
public  affairs,  and  an  ardent  and  unselfish  patriotism, 
were  found,  upon  his  being  called  into  the  service  of 
the  nation,  whether  as  Senator  or  Cabinet  officer,  to 
qualify  him  for  the  highest  duties  and  place  him  in 
the  front  rank  of  statesmen. 

"  Resolved,  That  notwithstanding  his  distinction  in 
these  walks,  it  is  yet  his  character  as  a  private  citi 
zen,  his  purity  of  heart,  his  nobility  of  conduct,  his 
firm  adherence  to  the  right  without  regard  to  conse- 

o  o 


140  PROCEEDINGS    07    THE    BAR. 

quences,  his  conscientious  fulfilment  of  duty  in  every 
relation  of  life,  his  warm  attachment  and  his  abounding 
charity,  to  which  his  friends  will  ever  point  with 
fondest  pride,  and  which,  more  than  even  his  distin 
guished  position  as  a  public  man,  will,  for  all  time,  to 
those  who  knew  him  best,  embalm  his  memory  in  an 
odor  of  sweetness." 

On  motion  of  John  D.  Martin,  it  was  resolved  that 
a  transcript  of  these  proceedings,  including  a  copy  of 
Hon.  H.  H.  Hunter's  eulogy  of  the  deceased,  be  fur 
nished  by  the  secretary  for  publication  in  pamphlet 
form,  and  that  copies  thereof  be  transmitted  by  him  to 
the  family  of  the  deceased. 

On  motion,  the  meeting  adjourned. 

H.  H.  HUXTEE,  President. 
TALL  SLOUGH,  Secretary. 

REMAEKS  OF  Hox.  H.  H.  HUNTER. 

May  it  please  tlie  Court : 

I  am  instructed  by  the  members  of  the  Bar  of  this 
city  to  present  to  the  Court  resolutions  adopted  at  a 
recent  meeting  held  bv  them  on  the  occasion  of  the 

o  *J 

death  of  our  fellow-citizen,  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing.  I 
beg  leave  to  read  them,  and  move  the  Court  to  order 
them  to  be  entered  on  the  journal. 

The  proceedings  of  the  bar  I  now  present  to  the 
Court,  and  ask  to  have  them  read. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR.  141 

111  presenting  these  resolutions,  I  take  leave  to  submit; 
a  few  remarks  prompted  by  the  occasion. 

Our  venerable  brother — I  should  rather  say  the 
patriarch  of  our  profession — whose  death  we  commemo 
rate,  has  long  been  amongst  us,  and  has  passed  away 
full  of  years  and  full  of  honors,  without  spot  or  blemish 
— not  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  life  and  active  usefulness, 
but,  like  full-ripened  fruit  of  goodly  fragrance,  has  been 
gathered — his  spirit  to  the  Creator  who  gave  it,  his 
body  to  the  grave. 

The  work  he  was  sent  to  perform  is  finished,  though 
much  that  he  has  done  will  live  after  him  in  the  hearts 
and  minds  of  those  who  knew  him  ;  and  we  are  left, 
not  to  lament  his  death,  for  it  is  appointed  of  God  for 
all  once  to  die,  but  to  rejoice  that  he  lived. 

Full-orbed,  he  shed  his  light  in  the  world  amongst 
men,  and  a  world  of  men  recognize  it.  Eminently  wise 
as  a  statesman  and  philosopher,  during  long  years  after 
he  ceased,  to  occupy  office  and  place  in  the  public 
councils,  he  continued  in  his  retirement  to  exert  a 
powerful  influence  on  the  events  and  affairs  of  the 
nation,  through  the  press  and  bv  confidential  counsel- 

O  v 

lings,  sought  by  those  in  power^who  knew  and  appre 
ciated  his  wisdom  and  integrity  of  purpose. 

The  present  does  not  seem  to  be  an  appropriate  occa 
sion  to  enter  largely  into  details  of  his  eventful  public- 
acts  or  private  life,  or  to  do  more  than  to  glance  at  them 
in  a  general  way;  and  this  the  more  especially  because, 
as  I  am  advised,  arrangements  are  being  made  for  a 

lo 


142  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

meeting  of  the  bar  of  the  State  in  commemoration  of 
our  deceased  friend.  And  yet,  as  his  fellow-townsmen 
and  professional  "brethren,  it  is  meet  and  proper  that 
we  honor  his  memory  by  placing  on  the  records  of 
this  Court  these  resolutions,  and  to  communicate  them 
to  his  family. 

On  the  occasion  anticipated  and  referred  to  at  the 
opening  of  the  next  regular  term  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  State  at  Columbus,  Avhen  a  full  attendance  of  the 
members  of  the  bar  of  the  State  may  be  expected,  the 
details  of  the  public  official  services  of  the  honored 
deceased,  and  his  professional  life  and  career,  his  general 
characteristics  as  a  man  in  the  society  of  men,  and  as 
neighbor  and  friend,  and  in  his  individual  and  private 
relations,  will,  doubtless,  be  appropriately  brought  under 
consideration. 

Nevertheless,  may  it  please  the  Court,  it  is  fitting  that 
we,  his  professional  brethren  and  neighbor?,  shall  give 
utterance  to  our  thoughts  on  these  topics  whilst  the 
event  of  the  closing  of  his  life  is  fresh  and  recent  upon 
our  minds. 

More,  than  half  a  century  ago,  our  honored  friend, 
then  in  his  early  manhood,  and  when  the  humble 
individual  who  now  addresses  you  was  yet  a  boy,  came 
to  our  then  small  village,  a  graduate  of  the  Ohio  Uni 
versity  at  Athens,  having,  by  the  results  of  his  own 
labor,  secured  to  himself  the  means  that  enabled  him 
to  obtain  a  collegiate  education,  and  commenced  the 
study  of  law  with  General  Philemon  Beecher,  an  able 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAE.  143 

and  successful  practitioner.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  August,  A.D.  1816,  and  became  the  copartner 
of  Mr.  Beeclier  in  the  practice,  and  by  the  extraordinary 
vigor  of  his  intellect  and  unremitting  application  almost 
immediately  became  the  leader  of  the  bar  in  Ohio, 
competing  successfully  with  the  ablest  and  most  experi 
enced  practitioners,  and  extending  his  practice  widely 
into  different  parts  of  the  State  and  into  the  Federal 
courts. 

His  chief  employment  in  life,  after  being  admitted 
to  the  bar,  was  as  a  lawyer,  till  the  year  1830,  when 
he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States ;  and 
during  his  term  of  office,  from  1831  to  1837,  he  devoted 
his  energies  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties — successfully, 
by  the  force  of  his  extraordinary  intellectual  vigor, 
rising  to  a  level  of  acknowledged  equality  as  a  states 
man  with  "Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  and  others,  the 
splendor  of  whose  talents,  and  the  extraordinary  im 
portance  of  the  affairs  of  government  which  then  occu 
pied  its  attention,  gave  prominence  to  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  equal  if  not  superior  to  any  like 
political  body  in  the  world. 

The  national  history  of  the  period,  covering  one  of 
the  most  important  eras  of  its  progress,  involving  the 
discussion,  agitation,  and  incipient  settlement  of  the 
great  principles  upon  which  the  duration — nay,  the 
continued  existence  of  the  Union  of  the  States  under 
the  Constitution  depended — could  not  be  truthfully 
written,  did  it  not  include,  in  the  Senatorial  galaxy 


144  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAE. 

to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  the  name  of  our 
departed  friend,  Thomas  Ewing,  as  one  of  its  brilliant 
stars. 

And  from  that  period,  down,  almost  to  the  closing 
scene  of  his  life,  his  active,  vigorous  intellect,  both  in 
official  station  and  in  the  retirement  of  private  life, 
covering  the  period  of  the  rise,  progress,  and  sup 
pression  of  the  great  rebellion  of  the  so-called  Confede 
rate  States,  was  employed  in  the  cause  of  the 
country. 

To  no  inconsiderable  extent,  it  may  be  said  that  by 
his  counsels  battles  have  been  fought,  campaigns  pro 
jected,  and  many  of  the  leading  measures  of  Govern 
ment  policy  in  the  progress  of  the  war  suggested. 

Firm  and  decisive  in  supporting  the  Union,  and  in 
suppressing  the  rebellion  by  the  most  energetic  and 
efficient  action,  he  was  yet  highly  conservative  in 
regard  to  the  principles  on  which  the  revolted  States 
should  be  reinstated,  differing  in  this  regard  from  the 
extreme  radical  policy  of  many  of  the  supporters  of  the 
cause  of  the  Union,  with  whom  he  had  acted  in  the 
great  contest.  It  thus  happened  that  in  those  measures 
of  policy  to  which  he  could  not  yield  his  assent  in 
reconstructing  the  revolted  States,  he  came  to  be  re- 

O 

garded  by  the  dominant  party,  with  whom  he  had 
acted  in  suppressing  the  rebellion,  as  favoring  its  ad 
herents  rather  than  the  legitimate  Government. 

In  respect  to  this,  much  injustice  has  unwittingly 
been  done  to  our  departed  friend. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  145 

Whatever  may  be  the  results  of  the  dominant  policy 
— an  experiment  not  yet  fully  tested — it  is  the 
height  of  injustice  to  attribute  to  him  any  faltering  in 
his  devoted  adherence  to  the  legitimate  government  of 
the  Union  under  the  Constitution,  moulded  and  shaped 
as  it  has  been,  or  shall  be,  to  adapt  it  to  the  exigencier? 
of  times  and  events,  by  the  American  people. 

As  said,  these  great  national  affairs  continued  to  be 
subjects  of  weighty  consideration  with  our  departed 
friend,  from  the  period  of  his  entering  the  Senate  in 
1831  to  the  close  of  his  life.  But  during  that  interval 

O 

he  also  to  a  large  extent,  to  within  a  recent  period, 
kept  up  the  practice  of  his  profession,  chiefly,  how 
ever,  in  select  cases  of  importance,  and  in  the  higher 
courts — his  example  in  which  is  before  us  to  stimulate 
our  efforts  to  render  our  profession  worthy  of  its  great 
objects — the  administration  of  justice  between  individ 
uals,  and  the  propagation  amongst  men  of  the  obli 
gations  of  civilized  society  regulated  by  law  and 
order. 

We  have  yet  to  notice  the  example  of  our  departed 
friend  in  his  more  private  relations,  as  neighbor  and 
citizen — in  short,  as  a  man  in  the  ordinary  walks  ot 
life. 

Unostentatious,  yet  dignified  and  affable,  he  mingled 
but   little,    outside   of  his   own    individual   and   family 
affairs,  with  the  current  incidents.      In  political  party 
movements    he    scarcely    participated   at    all — he    med 
died   not  with   the   "  wire-working"   machinery   or   the 


1-46  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAB. 

"  ropes " ;  and  was,  consequently,  several  times  defeated 
— or,  rather,  the  efforts  of  Iris  friends  were  defeated  in 
his  nomination  for  office,  when  his  success  would  pro 
bably  have  saved  the  country  from  much  of  the  trou 
ble  it  has  encountered  in  several  important  re 
spects. 

"When  a  public  improvement  or  any  object  of  pub 
lic  interest,  or  the  advancement  of  public  charities, 
called  for  patronage  and  support,  he  was  prompt 
and  liberal  in  contributing  aid,  and  in  devising 
the  best  means  for  their  promotion.  So,  also,  in 
private  charities — he  gave  liberally  when  it  was  a 
merit  or  a  duty,  and  in  the  most  quiet  way.  Amono- 
his  circle  of  friends,  some  of  whom  were  struowlhi0' 

'  OO  O 

with  adversity,  he  was  bountiful  in  noticing  and  ex 
tending  to  them  the  means  of  relief. 

Such,  may  it  please  the  Court,  are  some  of  the  out 
line  features,  briefly  and  feebly  portrayed,  of  the  char 
acteristics  of  our  honored  departed  friend. 

It  does  not  become  me  to  scarcely  allude  to  one 
other  subject  forming  a  part  of  the  characteristics  of 
this  truly  great  man — his  religious  faith  and  pre 
dilections.  Until  recently  before  his  death,  he  had 
not  made  any  public  profession,  or  formally  united 
himself  with  any  church;  yet  a  consistent  Christian 
in  his  walk  in  life,  and  learnedly  conversant  with  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  the  whole  body  of  church 
literature — for  his  was  a  mind  that  did  not  investigate 
by  halves,  or  understand  imperfectly  —  he  closed  the 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAH.  147 

scene    of    his    earthly    existence    by    formally    uniting 
himself  with  the  church  of  his  choice. 
May  he  rest  in  peace  ! 

KKMAKKS    OF   HON.    P.    VAN    THUMP. 

May  it  please  your  Honor : 

There  is  always  a  melancholy  satisfaction  in  paying 
a  just  tribute  to  the  memory  of  departed  worth.  In 
sucli  case,  it  requires  no  external  or  formal  symbols  of 
woe  to  give  expression  to  the  feelings  of  the  heart. 
General  sympathy  denotes  the  universal  bereavement. 
A  great  and  a  good  man  has  gone  from  among  us  ;  a 
mighty  intellect  has  returned  to  the  Divinity  from 
whence  it  sprang.  All  that  death  could  destroy  of 
Thomas  Ewing  has  been  deposited  in  the  silent  rest 
ing-place  of  the  grave  !  A  whole  nation  mourns  his 
loss  !  The  loss  of  great  public  benefactors,  in  any  of 
the  departments  of  life,  is  always  a  national  calam 
ity.  But  there  is  a  protracted  period  in  human  life, 
fixed  by  the  unchangeable  laws  of  the  Almighty, 
when  man,  having  performed  his  allotted  task,  stands 
upon  the  verge  of  time,  and  is  ready  to  sink  into  the 
grave  full  of  years  and  full  of  honors.  The  separation 
which  a  grateful  and  appreciative  people  mourn  is 
deprived  of  half  its  sorrow  by  the  reflection  that  his 
days  of  vigorous  and  active  life  were  gone.  Extreme 
old  age,  which  threatens  to  dissolve  the  relations  exist 
ing  between  the  individual  and  the  people,  signalized 


148  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR. 

l>y  mutual  benefits  and  affection,  bears  with  it  in  the 
course  of  nature  infirmities  that  impair  and  restrain 
the  enterprise  of  man.  Living  as  an  octogenarian,  lie 
is  but  the  monument  of  power  and  usefulness;  but 
the  grave,  which  encloses  his  inanimate  body,  cannot 
cover  his  bright  example  to  excite  the  emulation  of 
his  more  youthful  survivors;  and  his  unsullied  name 
is  still  preserved  to  command  the  respect  of  succeed 
ing  generations.  But  even  at  such  an  age,  private 
lamentation  is  but  the  echo  of  the  public  sorrow; 
and  the  bosoms  which  throb  for  the  loss  of  a 
parent  or  a  friend  only  sympathize  with  the  grief 
and  beat  in  unison  with  the  stricken  hearts  of  a  whole 
people. 

I  may  say  with  the  utmost  propriety,  on  the  pre 
sent  occasion,  that  this  is  neither  the  time  nor  the 
place  to  enter  into  an  elaborate  study  of  the  character 
and  public  services  of  Mr.  Ewing.  That  must  be 
postponed  for  more  deliberate  consideration,  by  other 
and  abler  hands,  and  from  a  wholly  different  stand 
point.  All  we  are  called  upon  to  do  here  now  is  to 
express  our  sorrow  in  this  national  bereavement ;  and 
that  sad  duty  has  already  been  very  aptly  performed 
in  the  resolutions  so  feelingly  presented  by  the 
gentleman  who  is  made  the  father  of  the  Lancaster 
Ear  by  the  very  bereavement  which  we  are  now  com 
memorating.  It  will  require  time,  and  thought,  and 
labor  to  present  a  full  estimate  of  the  character  of  Mr. 
Ewing  in  all  the  completeness  and  symmetry  of  its 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  149 

moral,  intellectual,  and  professional  proportions.  It  will 
demand  the  highest  qualities  of  the  lawyer,  and  the 
most  comprehensive  intelligence  of  the  statesman,  to 
perform  that  duty.  It  is  a  fact,  may  it  please  your 
Honor,  which  will  be  readily  acknowledged  every 
where  and  by  everybody  that  Mr.  Ewing  was  a  man 
of  such  rare  natural  endowments,  and  possessed  of  such 
an  admirable  equation  of  moral  and  intellectual  pow 
ers,  as  would  have  placed  him,  in  any  age  or  country, 
in  the  front  rank  of  professional  eminence. 

He  owed  this  harmony  between  his  moral  and 
mental  character  somewhat  to  the  times  and  circum 
stances  of  his  early  life — so  admirably  grouped  to 
gether  by  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends,  a  few 
days  ago,  in  the  columns  of  the  daily  press.  The 
peculiar  state  of  the  country  during  the  days  of  his 
boyhood,  which  had  scarcely  emerged  from  the  hard 
ships  of  a  new  and  half-peopled  condition,  while  it 
excluded  the  luxuries,  the  advantages  and  refinements 
of  civilized  life,  had  a  strong  tendency  to  train  up 
the  youth  in  those  habits  of  simplicity  and  privation, 
of  personal  independence,  and  of  constant  activity  of 
mind  and  body,  which,  however  much  we  may  shut 
our  eyes  to  the  fact,  constituted  the  most  essential 
part  of  the  education  which  formed  the  heroes  and 
patriots  of  republican  antiquity. 

In  this  state  of  society  was  Mr.  E wing's  character  first 
formed,  and  the  early  and  manly  impressions  of  his  youth 
may  be  traced  through  the  whole  uniform  tenor  of  his  pub- 


19 


150  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

lie  and  private  life,  which  stands  as  an  enduring  record  of 
the  highest  integrity  and  purest  virtue.  As  a  lawyer,  we 
feel  proud  of  his  fame.  In  some  points  he  was,  perhaps, 
unequalled.  So  varied  and  extensive  was  his  knowledge 
of  the  business  and  affairs  of  life  that  no  lawyer  of  his 
time  was  a  greater  master  of  facts  in  cases  where  the 
evidence  before  the  jury  was  complex  and  contradictory. 
He  persuaded  the  minds  of  his  auditors,  whether  judge 
or  jury,  without  using  any  of  the  arts  of  persuasion.  He 
convinced  without  condescending  to  solicit  conviction. 

O 

No  practitioner  at  the  bar  was  freer  from  the  ordinary 
arts  of  professional  finesse,  or  less  inclined  to  appeal  to 
popular  passion  and  prejudice.  Nothing  could  elude  the 
acuteness  and  force  of  his  logic,  or  the  searching  astute 
ness  of  his  great  powers  of  investigation.  Whether  he 
displayed  his  powers  in  the  forum  or  the  Senate-cham 
ber,  I  might  say,  in  the  language  of  another,  "  He  opened 
his  arguments  in  a  progressive  order,  erecting  each  suc 
cessive  position  upon  some  other,  whose  solid  mass  he 
had  already  established  on  an  immovable  foundation,  till 
at  last  the  superstructure  seemed,  by  its  height  and  pon 
derous  proportions,  to  bid  defiance  to  the  assaults  of 
human  ingenuity."  No  man  had  greater  self-reliance,  or 
possessed  a  more  imperious  self-will.  It  was  this  remark 
able  characteristic  which,  perhaps,  more  than  any  other 
leading  quality  of  his  mind,  made  Mr.  Ewing  to  be  mis 
understood  by  a  large  portion  of  the  people  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  and  especially  among  his  political 
colleagues  and  professional  brethren.  What  they  often 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR.  151 

supposed  to  be  an  exertion  of  mere  arbitrary  will  was 
quite  as  likely  to  be  only  an  earnest,  and  sometimes, 
where  great  interests  or  duties  were  involved,  an  inex 
orable  conviction  of  right,  after  mature  deliberation  and 
examination  of  the  subject-matter  in  hand.  With  such  a 
motive  power  to  put  into  action  his  intellectual  ma 
chinery,  he  strode  to  his  object  like  a  giant,  and  over 
whelmed  his  antagonist  with  the  weight  and  power  of 
his  assault.  Thus  stimulated,  his  reasoning  and  anm- 

/  o  o 

mentative  powers  were  of  the  highest  order.  For  clear, 
masculine,  and  massive  thought  he  was  certainly  the  peer 
of  any  of  the  great  men  by  whom  he  was  surrounded, 
whether  at  the  bar  or  in  the  halls  of  legislation. 

O 

It  cannot  be  claimed,  and  I  do  not  claim  for  him,  that 
he  combined  all  the  rare  elements  of  the  most  gifted  ora 
tory  ;  but  for  strong  natural  sagacity,  penetrating  acute- 
ness  ;  for  comprehensiveness,  if  not  a  quickness  of  appre 
hension,  clearness,  and  force  of  understanding,  against 
which  the  most  subtle  sophistry  set  itself  up  in  vain  ;  in 
situations  where  difficulties  of  the  most  involved  and 
complicated  character  equally  in  vain  opposed  his  indus 
try  and  courage,  he  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  foremost 
men  of  his  generation.  He,  perhaps,  preferred  to  over 
come  his  antagonist  more  by  the  weight  of  his  blows 
than  the  suavity  of  his  manner.  The  battle-axe  of 
"Richard  fitted  more  readily  to  his  hand  than  the  cimeter 
of  Saladin.  In  the  battle  of  professional  life,  he  relied 
more  upon  strength  than  policy  to  achieve  the  victory. 
He  always  brought  to  the  management  of  his  case, 


152  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

whether  before  this  tribunal  or  tlie  highest  one  in  the 
land,  all  the  forces  of  his  wonderful  mental  organization ; 
because  an  earnest  zeal  for  the  interests  of  his  client  knew 
no  difference  between  a  subordinate  and  a  supreme  juris 
diction.  His  flow  of  argument,  in  a  proper  case  to  call 
out  his  powers,  whether  in  the  court  of  Common  Pleas  or 
in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  was  like  a 
mighty  stream,  quickening  and  fertilizing  everything  in 
its  swelling  course. 

"  But  no  further  seek  his  merits  to  disclose." 

They  stand  confessed  and  recognized  everywhere  within 
the  orbit  of  a  reputation  which  is  national,  if  not  cosmo 
politan.  The  death  of  no  man,  out  of  public  life,  since 
the  demise  of  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Clay,  in  1852,  has 
created  so  profound*  a  sensation  in  the  popular  mind  in 
all  sections  of  the  country.  And  now,  may  it  please 
your  Honor,  I  cannot,  so  far  as  my  own  feelings  are  con 
cerned,  more  fittingly  close  this  brief  and  feeble  tribute 
to  departed  greatness,  made  at  the  request  of  that  bar 
which  was  the  theatre  of  Mr.  Ewing's  first  efforts,  than  in 
the  language  of  Mr.  Justice  Story,  on  a  similar  occasion, 
when  he  said :  "  I  rejoice  to  have  lived  in  the  same  age 
with  him,  and  to  have  been  permitted  to  hear  his  elo 
quence,  and  to  be  instructed  by  his  wisdom.  I  mourn 
that  my  country  has  lost  a  patriot  without  fear  or 
reproach.  The  glory  which  has  settled  on  his  tomb  will 
not  be  easily  obscured  ;  and  if  it  shall  grow  dim  in  the 
lapse  of  time,  I  trust  that  some  faithful  historian  will 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR.  153 

preserve  the  character  of  his  mind  in  pages  that  can 
perish  only  with  the  language  in  which  it  is  written.'' 


REMARKS    OF    HON.    C.    D.    MARTIN. 

After  Hon.  P.  Van  Trump  had  spoken,  Hon.  C.  D. 
Martin  then  said : 

May  it  please  your  Honor : 

I  yield  to  the  suggestion  of  the  Committee,  and,  on 
behalf  of  the  junior  members  of  the  Bar,  join  in  a  funeral 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  Thomas  Ewing.  In  their 
name,  and  with  reverential  solemnity,  I  lay  a  glove  on 
his  bier. 

In  my  judgment,  it  would  not  be  appropriate,  nor  is  it 
expected  of  me,  to  sketch  his  biography,  or  dwell  at 
length  upon  the  prominent  events  of  his  life  and  career. 
I  propose  to  advert  in  general  terms,  and  briefly,  to  his 
character  and  the  nature  and  extent  of  his  attainments. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  especially  distinct  from  the  general 
class  of  men,  and  possessed  physical  and  intellectual 
characteristics  of  the  most  commanding  order.  It  matters 
not  who  were  nor  whence  came  his  ancestry.  His  own 
distinction  and  renown  could  neither  be  enhanced  nor 
abated  by  such  considerations.  Considered  as  a  states 
man,  a  lawyer,  and  a  scholar,  he  was  justly  eminent. 
Many  years  ago,  he  attained  the  foremost  rank  of  dis 
tinction.  He  was  a  "  Conscript  Father  "  at  a  time  when 
the  title  was  an  honor  indeed ;  and  the  political  history 


154  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAB. 

of  the  country  attests  his  ability,  learning,  and  eloquence 
in  the  Senate,  and  his  great  executive  capacity  in  the 
Cabinet.  His  scholarship  was  of  the  profoundest  cha 
racter.  He  was  master  of  the  entire  range  of  natural 
sciences.  He  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the  classics, 
and  had  the  keenest  appreciation  of  the  beautiful  in 
letters. 

His  career,  ending  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-two,  is  to  the 
young  a  lesson  and  an  inspiration.  His  manly  struggles 
with  the  difficulties  of  early  life,  with  the  inconveniences 
and  disadvantages  of  a  frontier  settlement,  and  his 
triumph  over  them  all,  together  with  his  subsequent 
long  life  of  eminent  usefulness  and  distinguished  honor, 
are  known  to  all. 

It  is  likewise  well  known,  and  let  it  be  remembered, 
that,  in  addition  to  his  commanding  talents  and  vast 
acquirements,  he  possessed  those  sterling  traits  of  cha 
racter  that  gave  him  the  stamp  of  true  nobility.  Tem 
perance,  veracity,  courage,  and  honor,  indispensable 
marks  of  a  true  man,  were  bright  jewels  that  illuminated 
his  pathway,  and  were  treasured  by  him  beyond  all 
price. 

To  other  hands  than  mine  should  be  allotted  the  task 
of  sketching  his  portraiture  as  a  lawyer  ;  and  I  shall  not 
attempt  it.  The  vast  resources  he  gathered  from  other 
fields  of  knowledge  were  conspicuously  useful  in  the , 
practice  of  his  profession.  His  arguments,  distinguished 
by  the  severest  logic,  are,  nevertheless,  radiant  with  a 
glory  that  shows  that  true  classic  taste  presided  in  their 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR.  155 

preparation.  Many  of 'his  impromptu  addresses  to  the 
jury  will  be  long  remembered  as  inimitable  models, 
illustrating  his  superb  mastery  in  the  elucidation  of  com 
plicated  cases  of  fact.  And  frequently  on  such  occasions, 
when  thoroughly  aroused,  he  would  illuminate  the  dis 
cussion  with  the  flashes  of  true  oratorical  genius.  No 
man  was  more  conversant  with  the  strict  forms  and 
technical  refinements,  the  settled  maxims  and  artificial 
proceedings,  of  the  law.  Yet  these,  so  powerful  in  the 
hands  of  a,  practised  lawyer,  were  not  his  only  nor  his 
chief  instrumentalities. 

He  moved  on  a  more  exalted  plane.  He  explored  the 
reason  and  philosophy  of  the  rule,  and  enforced  the 
claims  of  justice  by  the  deductions  of  an  inexorable  logic. 
The  science  of  the  law  has  been  compared  to  a  grand 
temple,  and  the  highest  honor  awarded  to  the  votary 
who  was  fortunate  enough  to  cross  its  threshold  and 

O 

behold  its  vast  compartments.  Ewing  was  familiar  with 
the  entire  edifice  "from  turret  to  foundation-stone."  He 
had  traversed  its  spacious  halls.  He  had  explored  its 
labyrinthian  recesses.  He  was  both  guest  and  host 
under  its  high  dome.  He  was  not  an  admiring  occupant 
only ;  he  was  more — he  had  attained  the  rare  dignity 
of  architect  and  builder. 

In  recurring  to  Mr.  Ewing's  more  celebrated  efforts  at 
the  bar,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  venture  an  opinion,  it  is 
that  his  argument  in  the  Methodist  Church  case  is  the 
proudest  monument  to  his  ability  and  genius.  But  the 
memorials  of  his  intellectual  exertions  are  numerous. 


156  PROCEEDINGS   OF   THE   BAK. 

They   are   massive,   grand,    imposing.      They   will   en 
dure. 

The  statue,  the  bust,  the  medal ;  what  are  they  ?  Cold 
and  inanimate.  Time  touches  them,  and  they  are  un 
sightly.  Time  presses  them  in  his  rude  grasp,  and  they 
are  gone.  But  the  trophies  that  uncommon  intellect  and 
learning  leave  to  mankind  are  for  ever  alive  with  sacred 
fire,  and  survive  the  accidents  of  time.  They  appeal  to 
the  admiration  and  command  the  homage  of  successive 

o 

generations. 

And,  brethren  of  the  bar,  long  years  after  we  are  for 
ever  silent,  and  the  very  names  of  most,  if  not  all,  of  us 
are  forgotten,  the  fame  of  Thomas  Ewing  will  abide  in 
his  works  to  interest  and  instruct  his  fellow-men. 

The  practical  lesson  of  the  hour,  especially  to  the 
junior  members  of  the  bar,  is  to  profit  by  his  bright 
example  ;  to  imitate  his  habits  of  study  and  investigation, 
and,  above  all,  his  pure  and  spotless  life. 

The  full  measure  of  years  was  his;  his  the  full 
measure  of  care,  and  toil,  and  happiness,  and  honors.  His 
massive  brow  and  commanding  person  will  be  seen  of 
men  no  more.  He  is  gone.  Gone  are  the  proud  impulses 
of  his  noble  nature.  He  is  at  rest.  His  temples  are 
crowned  with  immortality  of  glory  and  honor  reserved 
by  the  Father  of  us  all  for  the  pure  in  heart. 

EEMAKKS    OF    WILLIAM    P.    CIIEED,    ESQ. 

May  it  please  your  Honor  : 

After  listening  to  the  eloquent  eulogiums  of  gentlemen 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR.  15 

who  have  spoken,  it  would  perhaps  be  better  I  should 
remain  silent ;  for  I  can  add  nothing  to  what  has  been 
said. 

The  beautiful  tributes,  so  full  of  truth  and  pathos,  so 
graphic  of  the  great  abilities,  great  qualities  and  virtues 
of  the  creat  dead,  embodied  in  the  resolutions  of  the 

O  ' 

honorable  chairman  and  remarks  of  my  distinguished 
friends,  are  but  fitting  testimonials  of  the  regard  the 

o  o 

people  of  this  county  and  members  of  this  Bar  have  for 
the  great  and  good  man  whose  death  we  mourn,  and 
memory  now  honor, 

To  tell  you  that  a  great  man  has  gone  from  earth — 
one  who,  in  an  eminent  degree,  possessed  those  rare  in 
tellectual  powers  which  made  him  peer  of  the  giant 
minds  of  the  land — is  but  to  repeat  that  which  you  have 
already  heard.  All  here  are  familiar  with  the  life  and 
character  of  Thomas  Ewing.  We  knew  him  well ;  he 
was  our  neighbor,  and  at  the  Bar  of  this  county  laid 

O  " 

broad  and  deep  the  foundation  of  a  name  and  fame,  not 
limited  by  county  or  State  lines,  but  co-extensive  with 
the  Union. 

How  instructive  his  life,  and  what  an  example  for 
emulation  !  With  no  fortuitous  aids,  no  powerful  family 
alliances,  but  a  will  indomitable  and  a  courage  that  could 
not  be  crushed  or  broken,  favored  with  an  intellect  God 
like,  self-made,  and  self-sustained,  Thomas  Ewing  rose 
one  of  the  master-minds  of  the  period,  and,  whether  in 
the  forum  or  Senate,  was  the  recognized  equal  of  the 
intellectual  giants  of  the  nation. 


158  PEOCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  not  only  great  as  a  jurist,  and  eminent 
as  a  statesman,  but  in  almost  every  branch,  of  knowledge 
Lad  few  equals,  perhaps  no  superior. 

Well  do  I  remember  in  early  life,  while  a  senator,  a 
conversation  he  had  in  Lancaster  with  one  equally  dis 
tinguished — Mr.  Browne,  of  Philadelphia,  a  lawyer  of 
eminence,  and  of  great  scientific  attainments.  It  was  in 
regard  to  the  geological  formation  of  the  Hocking  Valley. 
Mr.  Ewing's  knowledge  of  the  subject  was  profound,  and 
made  manifest  that  he  was  as  familiar  with  natural 
history  or  science  as  the  law.  Both  were  strongly 
impressed  with  the  importance  of  having  it  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  Legislature,  that  such  legislation 
might  be  had  as  Avould  tend  to  the  development  of  its 
vast  mineral  resources.  Shortly  thereafter,  it  was  done, 
and  to  Thomas  Ewing,  more,  perhaps,  than  any  other  are 
the  people  of  Ohio  indebted  for  the  early  development  of 
the  hidden  treasures  of  the  State. 

It  is  fitting  and  proper,  therefore,  that  we,  his  neigh 
bors  and  friends,  the  members  of  this  Bar,  where  his  early 
struggles  commenced,  culminating  in  renown,  should  thus 
publicly  recognize  his  claims  to  our  regard,  and  that 
the  records  of  this  Court  in  corning  years  should  show 
how  highly  were  appreciated  the  great  talents,  profound 
learning,  virtues,  and  worth  of  the  honored  dead.  He 
rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  survive ;  and,  while 
the  grass  grows  green  over  the  grave  where  he  sleeps, 
his  memory  will  live  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  159 


REMARKS     OF    JUDGE    SILAS    II.    WRIGHT. 

The  resolutions  of  the  Bar  and  the  address  of  Mr. 
Hunter  are  ordered  to  be  entered  upon  the  Journal  of 
this  Court  and  spread  upon  the  final  Record. 

I  know  full  well  that  the  worm  will  waste  this  Jour 
nal  and  run  riot  with  this  Record ;  that  the  registry  of 
decrees  and  judgments  is  doomed,  by  the  nature  and 
constitution  of  things,  to  pass  away  ;  and  that  this  frail 
memorial  to  the  "  old  man  eloquent "  must  eventually 
be  mixed  with  the  commonest  order  of  the  Court.  And 
were  these  same  orders  of  the  Court  cut  in  tablets  of 
marble  or  engraven  up  an  brass,  time,  with  a  kind  of 
cruel  cunning,  would  wipe  them  away  and  mock  us  with 
our  frailty.  But  to-day  at  least  is  ours;  and  we  come 
to  signify  our  poor  appreciation,  in  the  last  way  left  to  us, 
of  the  great  and  good  man  whose  demise  has  draped 
with  sorrow  the  standard  of  every  State  in  the  Union. 

It  falls  to  the  lot  of  few  to  be  so  mighty  and  so 
mourned.  Nature  seems  stingy  of  her  gifts.  Her  crea 
tive  power  is  satisfied  with  common  men.  There  is  no 
planet  in  the  skies  so  bright  as  to  be  seen  from  all  the 
latitudes ;  few  trees  between  the  two  oceans  that  over 
top  and  outgirth  the  many  millions,  that  stand  the  pecu 
liar  monarchs  of  their  native  mountain.  Few  peaks 
catch  the  first  gleam  of  the  sun.  Nature  is  exceedingly 
democratic  in  her  appointments,  and  careful  in  her 
designs.  The  world  is  full  of  little  men ;  the  skies  are 
sprinkled  with  little  stars ;  the  earth  is  covered  with 


ICO  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

small   trees ;  hills   and   Lillocks   without  number    give 
variety  to  the  view  and  a  serene    repose  which  comes 
from  a  common  brotherhood.     But  for  this  arrangement, 
among  the  mountains  there  would  be  no   Chirnborazo, 
among  the  stars  no  Jupiter,  among  the  trees  no  royal 
lords,   and  among  the  men  no  Ewing.     Men  are  only 
<>Teat  by  comparison,  and,  when  placed  in  a  row,  you  may 
draw   a   line  that  will    fairly    mark    their  intellectual 
altitudes.     The  great  ones  are  at  dim  distances,  both  in 
point  of  time  and  place.     Fix  the  great  men  of  the  last 
century  thus,  and  Ewing  outmeasures  them  all.      We 
are  not  generally  fond  of  great  things,  nor  is  there  much 
need  of  them  in  the  small  affairs  of  this  life.     We  break 
the  frowning  mass  of  rock  into  fragments  fit  for  our  puny 
hands  ;  we  divide  the  river  into  streams,  and  scatter  the 
fountain  into  spray ;    the  huge  oak  is  split  into  many 
subdivisions,  and  becomes  manageable  in  human  hands. 
Great  men  are  the  quarries  out  of  which  temples  are 
built ;  they  are  the  fountains  that  [furnish  supplies  when 
the  streams  are  dry  ;  they  are  vicegerents  of  God,  and  utter 
his  decrees ;  they  permit  no  questioning,  and  rarely  allow 
approach;  and,  even  among   themselves,  they  stand  as 
distant  as  high  mountains,  and  as  far  apart  as  mighty 
rivers.     The  man  who  wields  a  sceptre  rarely  succeeds 
in  rocking  a  cradle.      Even  when  he  croons  a  sonnet 
there  is  the  rumbling  of  thunder.      Ewing  was  great  in 
mind  as  he  was  in  person.     He  stood  high  up  above  the 
measure  that  showed  the  size  of  common  men,  and  the 
belt  that  clasped  him  counted  many  feet.      His  hat  was 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE.  161 

so  capacious  that  it  would  Lave  fallen  to  the  shoulders 
of  most  men,  and  covered  them  like  a  tent.  Wherever 
he  went,  into  whatever  city  or  strange  place,  all  asked, 
u  Who's  that  \ "  and  there  was  always  some  one  able  to 
answer  the  enquiry,  so  universally-  was  he  known  and 
admired.  He  had  little,  except  a  philosophical  sym 
pathy  with  the  individual,  and  that  was  enough  ;  for  he 
had  no  time  to  squander  his  affection — it  was  measured 
out  for  mankind. 

I  have  known  him  by  sight  since  I  wras  ten  years  old  ; 
and  nineteen  years  ago,  when  I  wras  a  law  student  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  P.  Van  Trump,  I  spent  an  evening  at  his 
house.  With  rustic  promptness,  I  came  at  the  appointed 
hour,  and,  as  none  had  "gathered  there,"  he  kindly 
engaged  me  in  conversation.  He  was  so  bland  and 
fatherly,  I  thought  I  could  safely  have  pressed  his  great 
hand,  fashioned  at  furnaces  and  furrowed  with  early  toil. 
He  said  something  of  me  which  came  to  my  ears  on  the 
next  day,  and  that  something  has  been  to  me  a  stronger 
stay  in  the  battle  of  life  than  all  things  else  together.  I 
have  not  always  been  in  sympathy  with  this  great  man. 
We  have  not  agreed  in  matters  of  public  moment  and  of 
great  concern  ;  but  to  his  superior  judgment  and  unques 
tioned  integrity  I  probably  should  have  submitted  my 
self.  But  I  could  not.  His  death  came  not  with  the 
silent  approach  of  a  thief  at  night,  but  with  full  warning, 
and  in  the  dav  season.  The  cold  messenger  did  not 

«/  o 

steal  upon  him  unawares.     That  would  have  been  no 
triumph.     It  was  a  warfare  of  eighty  odd  years,  and  the 


162  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

sunlight  must  stand  in  evidence  of  the  struggle.  On  a 
clear  day,  when  no  cloud  was  perceptible,  has  been  heard 
a  clap  of  thunder ;  in  the  still  noontide,  some  forest  tree 
falls  ;  so  comes  upon  us  the  report  of  Ewing's  death.  He 
was  a  half  century  old  when  I  first  saw  him,  and  "  dry 
antiquity  "  had  scarcely  disturbed  a  lock  of  his  curly 
hair.  .  I  have  since  seen  his  diminished  form  and  his 
crop  of  hair  growing  thinner  in  the  harvests  of  time ;  and 
the  ghostly  reaper  has  gathered  and  garnered  him  in  the 
great  storehouse  of  the  hereafter. 

Let  us  say — for  we  may  well  and  honestly  say — as 
Tacitus  did  of  Agricola,  "  Whatever  in  Ewing  was  the 
object  of  our  love,  of  our  admiration,  remains  and  will 
remain  in  the  minds  of  men,  transmitted  in  the  records 
of  fame  through  an  eternity  of  years."  For  while  many 
great  personages  of  antiquity  will  be  involved  in  a  com 
mon  oblivion  with  the  mean  and  inglorious,  Ewino;  shall 

O  /  O 

survive,  represented  and  consigned  to  future  ages. 


LAXCASTEE,  O.,  January  27,  1872. 
Hox.  P.  B.  EWIXG: 

Mr  DEAE  SIR  :  I  did  not  until  this  morning,  at 
Columbus,  receive  from  the  Clerk  of  the  Supreme 
Court  the  enclosed  certified  copy  of  the  record  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  members  of  the  bar,  communicated 
to  the  Court,  commemorative  of  their  estimation  of 
your  honorable  father ;  and  as  Chairman  of  the  Com- 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  163 

mittee,  and  in  obedience  to  the  directions  of  the 
meeting  of  the  bar  on  that  occasion,  I  herewith  trans 
mit  it  to  YOU,  and,  through  you,  to  the  family. 

With  considerations  of  esteem  and  respectful  regards, 
Your  very  obedient  servant, 

H.    H.    HUKTEE. 

SUPREME  COURT  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OHIO. 
DECEMBER  TERM,  1871. 

Hon.  H.  H.  Hunter,  chairman  of  a  meeting  held 
by  the  members  of  the  bar,  to  consider  the  death  of 
Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  appeared  in  open  court,  and 
presented  the  following,  which  is  ordered  to  be  spread 
upon  the  records  of  this  Court : 

To  [the   Honorable   tlie  Supreme  Court  of  tlie  State  of 
Ohio  : 

On  the  26th  day  of  October  last,  Thomas  Ewing 
died  at  his  home  in  Lancaster,  at  the  ripe  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  He  was,  take  him  all  in  all,  the 
most  distinguished  man  that  the  Ohio  bar  has  pro 
duced — a  great  lawyer  and  great  man  in  an  age  of 

irreat  men.      The   members   of  the  bar   feel  that  it  is 

~ 

due  to  the  living  as  well  as  the  dead  that  they  shall 
bear  their  solemn  testimony  to  the  value  of  the  life 
and  services  of  this  illustrious  citizen,  to  ba  spread 
upon  the  records  of  this  court,  which  he  dignified  and 
adorned  by  many  of  the  choicest  labors  of  his  life. 
As  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Ewing  was  thoroughly  grounded 


164  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

in  legal  principles ;  his  reading  was  large  and  accu 
rate,  and  lie  had,  among  other  things,  mastered  at  an 
early  day  the  science  of  special  pleading,  without 
which  no  man  can  be  an  accomplished  lawyer  in  this 
country  or  in  England.  He  was  a  man  of  large 
attainments  in  many  departments  of  study.  In  sci 
ence,  in  general  literature,  especially  poetry,  and  in 
history,  his  reading  was  extensive  and  thorough,  and 
his  memory  was  so  tenacious  that  the  acquisitions  of 
a  lifetime  seemed  to  be  always  at  his  disposal. 

He  had  great  powers  of  analysis,  great  force  and 
closeness  of  logic,  a  wide  range  of  illustration ;  and 
while  he  lacked  the  minuter  graces  of  style  and 
scholarship,  he  had  a  thorough  knowledge  and  com 
mand  of  the  English  tongue.  A  marked  peculiarity, 
in  which  his  greatness  as  a  reasoner,  like  that  of  his 
contemporary,  Webster,  especially  showed  itself,  was  a 
faculty  of  logical  statement,  embodying  the  whole 
argument  in  the  statement  of  his  case.  His  genius 
was  eminently  suggestive,  setting  other  minds  to 
work,  and  thus  making  his  presence  felt  in  every 
circle,  however  high  or  humble,  in  which  he  moved. 

He  was]  a  bold  practitioner  at  the  bar,  relying,  per 
haps,  sometimes  too  much  upon  a  single  blow  in  dis 
posing  of  a  case ;  and  in  this  respect  his  method  was 
in  striking  contrast  with  that  of  many  of  the  leading 
lawyers  of  his  day.  The  labor  of  minute  preparation 
and  care  for  detail  were  distasteful  to  him,  and  for 
these  he  relied,  at  all  events  for  many  years,  upon  the 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR.  IGf) 

younger  men  associated  with  him;  but  his  judgment 
upon  the  steps  to  be  taken  in  the  preparation  of  a  case, 
and  upon  the  case  itself  when  prepared,  was  almost 
unerring,  and  in  the  presentation  of  a  case  to  either 
court  or  jury  he  had  few  equals  and  no  superiors,  at  the 
bar  of  either  State  or  nation. 

The  deep  foundations  of  his  strength  were  laid  in  hard 
study,  untiring  industry,  indomitable  energy,  unflinching 
integrity  and  honor. 

Let  young  men  who  would  aspire  to  a  greatness  like 
his  seek,  first,  to  be  like  him  in  these  humble  qualities. 
In  this  and  no  other  way  can  the  bar  maintain  its  plac-,j 
in  the  confidence  of  the  American  people.  Mr.  Ewing 
was  a  man  of  warm  and  generous  heart,  of  most  affection 
ate  and  genial  spirit  among  his  family  friends,  full  of 
kindness  and  sympathy.  The  struggles  of  his  early  life 
had  undoubtedly  left  their  traces,  and  given  something 
like  a  tinge  of  sternness  to  his  manner,  and  a  habit  of 
self-reliance  so  pronounced  and  unmistakable  as  to  seem 
t<>  those  who  only  met  him  officially  like  coldness  and 
selfish  isolation.  But  these  were  only  appearances,  and 
upon  the  surface;  while  at  heart  he  was  a  living  and  true 
man,  and  the  friend  and  companion,  of  good  men. 

The  time  has  not  yet  come  for  passing  judgment  upon 
his  statesmanship  in  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  Union 
which  he  loved ;  but  we  know  that,  whether  right  <.>:• 
wrong,  he  was  always  the  patriot  -statesman,  too  great  to 
be  a  partisan  leader,  too  much  of  a  man  to  be  an  in 
triguer  or  a  demagogue.  His  leadership  was  one  of 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

thought,  of  character,  of  life;  and  his  influence  was  felt 
for  good  in  his  day  and  generation,  not  only  in  the  State 
whose  counsels  lie  honored,  but  throughout  the  nation, 
whose  best  interests,  alike  in  the  Senate,  the  Cabinet, 
and  as  a  private  citizen,  he  had  always  at  heart  and 
sought  to  serve. 

The  generation  that  knew  Mr.  Ewing  personally  will 
soon  have  passed  away,  but  his  memory  will  survive ;  for 
he  has  built  for  himself  an  enduring  monument  in  the 
political  and  legal  history  of  the  nation,  and  his  statue 
will  adorn  the  Capitol,  while  his  labors  and  example  will 
be  felt  throughout  all  the  coming  generations  of  the 
State  that  he  so  faithfully  loved  and  served. 

Resolved,  As  an  expression  of  the  deep  reverence  of 
the  bar  of  Ohio  for  the  memory  of  Thomas  Ewing, 
that  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  be  requested  by 
the  Chairman  of  this  meeting  to  place  upon  its  records 
the  foreo-oins;  minute  and  these  resolutions ;  and  that  a 

O  O  ' 

copy  of  the  same  be  sent  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Ewing, 
and  furnished  to  the  press  for  publication ;  and  that 
Messrs.  M.  A.  Daugherty,  Attorney-General  Pond,  and 
L.  J.  Critchfield  be  a  Committee,  who  shall,  in  behalf 
of  the  bar  of  the  State,  procure  a  marble  bust  of  Mr. 
Ewing,  to  be  placed,  with  the  approval  of  the  Court,  in 
the  audience-room,  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  and  that  said 
Committee  be  authorized,  through  sub-committees  in  the 

/  o 

several  counties,  or  otherwise,  to  provide  the  means  for 
this  object. 

And  resolved  further.  That  said  Committee  be  request- 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  167 

ed,  in  such  manner  as  they  shall  deem  best,  to  call  the 
attention  of  the  General  Assembly,  now  in  session,  to 
the  provisions  of  the  second  section  of  the  act  of  Con 
gress  of  July  2,  1864,  inviting  each  and  all  the  States 
to  provide  and  furnish  statues,  in  marble  or  bronze,  not 
exceeding  two  in  number  for  each  State,  of  deceased 
persons  who  have  been  citizens  thereof,  and  illustrious 
for  their  historic  renown,  or  from  their  distinguished 
civic  or  military  services,  such  as  each  State  shall  deter 
mine  to  be  worthy  of  this  national  commemoration;  and 
providing  that  such  statues,  when  so  furnished,  shall  be 
placed  in  the  Capitol  of  the  United  States;  and  that  said 
committee,  by  memorial  or  otherwise,  ask  the  General 
Assembly  to  provide,  by  a  special  act  or  resolution,  that 
whenever  the  State  shall  take  action  pursuant  to  said 
act  of  Congress  to  furnish  statues  as  contemplated  there 
by,  one  of  the  same  shall  be  that  of  our  deceased 
fellow-citizen,  Thomas  Ewinsr. 

/  O 

THE  STATE  OF  OHIO,  CITY  OF  COLUMBUS,  ss. 

SUPREME  COURT  OF  OHIO. 

I,  Rodney  Foos,  Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  of  Ohio,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  is 
truly  taken  and  correctly  copied  from  the  records  of  said 

court. 

In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  subscribed 

my    name    and    affixed    the    seal    of    said 
Supreme  Court  this    15th   day  of   January, 

A.D.  1872. 

RODNEY  Foos,  Clerk. 


1C8  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

ADDRESS  OF  JUDGE  W.  JOHNSON 

Before  tlte  Bar  of  Columbus. 
The  lite  and  death  of  a  distinguished  man  is  an  im- 

O 

pressive  lesson,  and  ought  to  be  both  conned  and  recited 
by  the  living ;  and  those  who  have  known  him  best 
should  not  hesitate  to  speak  of  those  characteristics 
worthy  to  be  imitated  by  the  survivors. 

In  the  summer  of  1838,  thirty-three  years  ago,  I  had 
the  honor  to  preside  at  a  public  dinner  given  to  Mr. 
Ewing  by  the  young  men  of  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  and 
I  had  him  for  my  guest  on  that  occasion.  He  was 
then  in  the  prime  and  vigor  of  manhood  ;  and  he  im 
pressed  himself  on  my  mind  as  the  most  remarkable  man 
of  my  acquaintance.  I  have  known  him  intimately  ever 
since,  and  received  from  him  marks  of  kindness  and  les 
sons  of  wisdom  worth  far  more  than  anything  I  can  now 
say  of  him.  Of  course,  I  am  not  wholly  ignorant  of 
his  life. 

He  was  not,  either  by  birth  or  education,  a  product  of 
the  Orient.  He  was  born  on  the  western  slope  of  Vir 
ginia,  in  that  part  known  familiarly  as  the  Pan-handle, 
in  1789,  and  at  three  years  old  was  carried  by  his 
parents  into  Ohio,  and  planted  in  the  wilderness. 

In  1803,  in  conversation  with  Jeremiah  Morrow  and 
Manasseh  Cutter,  Mr.  Jefferson  expressed  regret  that  the 
new  constitution  of  Ohio  had  excluded  slavery,  because, 
in  his  opinion,  the  heavy  forests  of  Ohio  could  not  be 
cleared  out  by  free  labor.  Such  a  blunder  for  so  wise  a 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR.  109 

man  !      I  have  sometimes  thought  that  wrestling  with 

O  *— ' 

the  giant  oaks  and  hickories  of  these  forests  imparted  a 
strength  and  toughness,  both  to  the  bodies  and  minds 

O  O  / 

of  the  boys  of  that  period,  not  to  be  met  with  under 
what  the  world  calls  happier  auspices.  Such  seems  to 
have  been  the  effect  produced  on  Mr.  Ewing,  at  least. 
His  family  were  settled  in  the  wilderness,  without  what 
are  now  called  the  comforts  of  life,  doomed  to  hard 
work,  few  books,  and  no  schools.  His  elder  sister  taught 
him  the  art  of  reading,  and  with  this  key  of  knowledge 
in  his  hand,  in  the  intervals  of  hard  labor,  and  at  night 
by  the  light  of  hickory-bark,  he  exhausted  all  the  stores 
of  knowledge  within  his  reach  till  he  was  twenty  years 
old.  A  little  school,  dignified  with  the  name  of  the 
"  Ohio  University,"  was  about  being  established  at  "  New 
Athens,"  in  Jiis  o\vn  county,  where  some  Latin,  and 
Greek,  and  mathematics,  and  what  not  might  be  learn 
ed  ;  but  this  great  boy  had  no  money  and  no  one  to 
help  him.  He  laid  his  axe  on  his  shoulder,  and  crossed 
over  the  Ohio  to  the  Kauawha  salt-works,  cut  cord-wood 
and  boiled  salt  for  two  or  three  years,  saving  by  the  most 
rigid  economy  all  his  earnings,  and  came  home — ready 
to  enter  college?  Not  yet;  he  had  a  higher  duty  yet 
to  discharge.  His  father  and  family  were  struggling 
for  life  on  a  new  farm,  unimproved  and  not  yet  paid  for ; 
and  laying  the  first  commandment  with  promise  to  his 
conscience,  and  his  hand  on  his  little  purse,  he  first 
cleared  his  father's  farm  of  debt,  and  with  what  was 
left  went  to  school. 


170  PEOCEEDLNGS    OF    THE    BAK. 

How  could  so  grand  a  beginning  ever  fail  ?  That 
"  fclie  hand  of  the  diligent  maketh  rich,"  had  grown  into 
a  proverb  in  the  time  of  Solomon ;  and  the  success  of 
the  youth  who  renders  due  regard  to  his  father  and  his 
mother  had  been  guaranteed  by  the  code  of  Mount 
Iloreb.  If  anybody  calls  it  superstition,  so  let  them ; 
I  never  argue  about  morals  or  religion  ;  but  my  father 
taught  me  when  a  child — and  to  his  observation  of 

O 

seventy-two  years  I  have  added  my  own— that  every 
youth  who  commences  life  regardless  of  this  duty  is, 
sooner  or  later,  found  to  come  to  grief. 

When  his  funds  were  exhausted,  he  resumed  his 
axe  and  returned  to  the  salt-works,  and  cut  cord-wood 
and  boiled  salt  till  he  had  acquired  enough  to  finish 
his  collegiate  course;  and,  in  1815,  the  Ohio  University 
had  the  honor  of  conferring  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Arts — the  first  parchment  of  the  kind 
ever  issued  by  that  school. 

I  have  heard  Col.  Armstrong,  of  Kentucky,  describe 
the  return  of  this  wood-chopper  to  college.  The  col 
lege  boys,  physically  "  but  grasshoppers  in  his  sight,'1 
gathered  about  him  to  make  sport  of  him,  and  to 
insist  at  recess  on  making  a  ball-alley  against  his 
broad  shoulders,  taking  care  always  not  to  provoke 
him  to  anger.  This  sport  did  well  enough  for  a  while, 
and  he  took  it  good-naturedly ;  but,  in  less  than  six 
months,  the  students  in  mathematics  came  to  him  to  have 
him  solve  their  problems,  and  the  students  in  Latin  to 
have  him  help  them  out  with  their  lessons ;  and  he 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  171 

towered  up  in  the  midst  of  them  an  object  of  admira 
tion  and  esteem — not  less  their  superior  in  mind  than 
in  body. 

Mr.  Ewins;   studied  the  law  in  the  town  of  Lancas- 

o 

ter,  Ohio.  Here  he  commenced  his  professional  career, 
here  he  lived,  and  here  he  died.  But  his  professional 
labors  extended  far  beyond  the  circle  in  which  he 
lived.  I  remember  very  well,  when  I  was  young  in 
the  profession,  and  willing  to  learn  something  from 
older  men,  having  travelled  on  horseback  nearly  thirty 
miles,  while  our  late  friend,  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  tra 
velled  double  that  distance,  to  witness  the  gigantic 
struggle  between  him  and  Andrew  W.  Loomis  in  an 
important  and  exciting  trial  in  New  Philadelphia. 

But  I  will  not  speak  in  this  presence  of  his  accom 
plishments  as  a  lawyer.  The  thoroughness  of  his  legal 
training,  the  singular  clearness  of  his  conceptions,  his 
remarkable  power  of  statement,  the  bold  simplicity  of 
his  style,  and  the  massive  strength  of  his  logic,  are 
familiar  to  this  court. 

But  his  general  scholarship  outside  of  liis  profes 
sion  deserves  respectful  notice,  for  he  was  not  a  mere 
lawyer.  As  a  linguist,  he  never  travelled  beyond  the 
Latin  and  French.  These  he  continued  to  read,  by 
way  of  beguiling  the  tedium  of  his  winter  evenings,  as 
long  as  he  lived.  But  lie  always  bore  in  mind,  as  Dr. 
Johnson  would  say,  that  words  were  but  the  daugh 
ters  of  earth,  while  tilings  were  the  sons  of  heaven. 
And  with  him  the  knowledge  of  one  dozen  things  by 


172  PEOCEEDIXG5    OF    THE    EAE 

tlieir  right  names  was  far  more  important  than  the 
knowledge  of  one  dozen  names  for  the  same  tiling. 

O  O 

Hence,  his  mind  was  devoted  more  to  science  than  to 
literature.  His  knowledge  of  history  and  general  lite 
rature  was  far  above  mediocrity;  but  in  matters  of 
science  he  was  the  most  cyclopaedic  scholar  I  have 
ever  known.  I  first  made  his  acquaintance,  as  I  have 
said,  at  a  public  dinner;  after  the  public  doings  of 
the  day  were  over,  I  conducted  him  across  the  com 
mons  to  a  little  cottage  I  had  built  with  a  Grecian 
portico  in  front.  He  laid  his  hand  on  one  of  the 
columns,  and,  casting  a  glance  up  to  the  entablature 
and  the  pediment,  enquired,  "Who  did  this?"  I  re 
plied  that  I  was  the  architect  and  builder  both.  He 
paid  it  a  compliment  which  it  scarcely  deserved,  and 
immediately  ran  into  a  disquisition  on  architecture  that 
would  have  astonished  Sir  Christopher  Wren.  He 
traced  the  science  from  Eorypt  up  to  Greece,  and  Greece 

<~J «/    A.  J.  / 

over  to  Rome.  He  was  familiar  with  the  massive  ruins 
of  Baalbec  and  Palmyra,  and  what  not ;  but  what  aston 
ished  me  was  that  he  was  not  only  acquainted  with  the 
general  history  of  architecture,  but  that  he  knew  the 
exact  proportions  of  every  member  of  each  order,  as  if 
it  had  been  the  business  of  his  life.  My  business  for  the 
day,  as  I  had  supposed,  was  to  entertain  a  politician ; 
but  I  soon  found  that  the  better  part  of  it  was  to  be 
entertained  by  a  savant.  In  thirty-three  years'  acquaint 
ance  which  followed,  I  never  found  him  ignorant  of  any 

O  «/ 

matter  of  science  on  which  I  had  occasion  to  speak  to 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  173 

him;  and  many  a  time  I  invented  the  occasion  when 
there  was  none,  to  enjoy  at  once  the  instruction  he  gave 
and  the  charms  of  his  conversation. 

But  what  was  most  remarkable  in  the  wide  range 
of  his  scientific  knowledge  was  his  knowledge  of 

o  o 

common  things.  It  was  said  of  Burke  that  he  could 
enter  any  workshop  in  London,  and  in  conversation 
pass  himself  off  for  a  brother  of  the  craft.  Mr.  Ewing 
might  have  done  the  same  thins;  but  for  the  danger 

O  O  O 

that  his  massive  Doric  head  might  have  betrayed 
him.  Part  of  this  vast  store  of  knowledge  he  used 
in  the  line  of  his  profession ;  but  a  greater  part  of  it 
was  stored  up  and  kept,  because  he  loved  it  merely. 
What  a  happy  thing,  when  age  conies  on,  and  the 
five  senses  grow  dull,  and  the  perceptive  faculties 
begin  to  fail,  to  have  on  hand  such  a  store  of  know 
ledge  for  the  mind  to  feed  upon ;  to  keep  the  heart 
young  and  the  spirits  bright  through  the  otherwise 
cheerless  darkness  of  old  age  ! 

In  the  active  developments  of  Mr.  E wing's  life  and 
character,  he  was  more  of  a  jurist  than  a  statesman, 
and  more  of  a  statesman  than  a  politician.  lie  served 
one  term  and  a  half  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States,  and  he  was  a  member  of  two  different  Cabi 
nets.  In  the  short  time  he  served  in  official  capaci 
ties,  he  worked  laboriously,  and  did  his  work  well. 
But,  alas !  for  the  public,  it  is  hard  to  keep  a  man  long 
in  office,  unless  he  is  a  politician;  and  he  was  no 
politician  in  the  common  sense  of  the  word.  He  stood 


V.' 


174  PEOCEEDKSTGS    OF   THE   BAE. 

high  above  all  the  tricks  by  which  politicians  use 
and  abuse  their  friends,  outwit  their  enemies,  and 
circumvent  their  rivals.  Of  course,  he  had  little  to 
expect  from  conventions ;  and  then,  he  was  defective 
in  the  art  of  winning  the  hearts  of  the  masses.  He 
recognized  the  brotherhood  of  mankind,  and  would 
defend  their  rights  with  bull-dog  pertinacity;  but  he 
lacked  the  suavity  of  the  spaniel.  To  do  men  acts 
of  justice  and  benevolence  satisfied  his  ideas  of  duty, 
without  promises  to  do  more,  or  boasts  of  what  Avas 
already  done. 

But  he  had  one  quality  which  politicians  would 
do  well  to  cultivate — he  knew  when  his  time  w^as 
out,  and  accepted  the  situation  without  complaint. 
He  could  do  what  no  other  man  of  my  .acquaintance 
ever  could — he  could  retire  from  politics,  and  fall 
back  with  success  on  his  profession.  And  then,  a 
man  so  wise,  so  instructive,  and  so  cordial  by  the 
fireside,  though  he  might  not  hold  the  places  of  pub 
lic  trust  and  honor,  was  able  to  command  "  that  which 
should  accompany  old  age,  as  honor,  reverence,  and 
troops  of  friends" — worth  more  to  an  honest  heart 
than  all  the  shows  and  shams  which  surround  men 
in  power  and  place. 

Though  jurisprudence  and  science  occupied  Mr. 
Ewing's  mind  chiefly,  he  had  his  playthings  whereby 
he  relaxed  his  mind  and  relieved  it  from  toil.  I 
once,  in  the  city  of  Columbus,  seeing  a  light  in  his 
room  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  intruded  myself  upon 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    EA&.  175 

him,  and  found  him  reading  a  little  novel.  "  What 
have  you  there  ? "  said  I.  "  A  love-tale,"  said  he.  "  I 
have  been  working  all  day  on  a  brief,  and  have  not 
finished  it;  and  if  I  go  to  bed  with  that  on  rny  brain, 
I  shall  sleep  none;  and  so  I  have  taken  up  this  little 
story  by  way  of  dissipation,  in  order  to  get  some 
rest,  and  be  ready  for  to-morrow's  work." 

In  Mr.  Ewing's  character,  honesty  could  scarcely  be 
called  a  virtue.  It  resulted  from  the  normal  structure 
of  his  mind,  which,  like  one  of  those  well-adjusted 
machines  in  our  mints  and  workshops,  could  not  do 
false  work  without  first  breaking  or  deranging  the 
machinery.  All  crooked  ways  were  abhorrent  to  him, 
and  he  would  go  straight  forward,  even  at  the  cost 
of  harshness,  rather  than  be  agreeable  at  the  expense 
of  truth.  His  early  life  had  taught  him  self-reliance ; 
and,  although  no  man  listened  more  patiently  or  re 
spectfully  to  the  opinions  of  others,  I  do  not  believe  he 
ever  relinquished  an  opinion  of  his  own  once  delibe 
rately  formed. 

I  have  said  that  our  departed  friend  commenced  life 
right.  The  first  of  his  earnings  was  devoted  to  the 
service  of  his  parents.  This  was  his  interpretation  of  the 
divine  precept,  "  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother."  His 
true  perception  of  the  obligations  of  man  to  his  fellow 
never  forsook  him.  Next  to  his  father,  the  men 
who  helped  him  up  by  their  countenance,  aid,  and 
advice  were  Philemon  Beecher  and  Judo;e  Sherman,  of 

O  * 

Lancaster.      He   commemorated    his   gratitude    to    the 


176  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

former  by  naming  liis  eldest  son  after  him,  and  can 
celled  his  obligations  to  the  latter  by  sending  his  son 
Tecumseh  to  the  military  academy  at  West  Point.  He 
never  was  accused  of  turning  the  cold  shoulder  upon 
a  friend.  He  was  successful  in  business,  and  left  a 
large  estate  to  his  children ;  but  the  legacy  he  left 
to  the  poor  young  men  of  the  country,  struggling  for 
wisdom,  and  worth,  and  eminence,  and  success,  is 
infinitely  greater. 

And  now  he  is  gone  to  his  reward  in  a  good  old 
age,  leaving  us  to  moralize  upon  the  event.  Let  us  not, 
then,  regard  this  as  a  calamity.  For  my  own  part, 
as  one  whose  friendship  for  the  deceased  was  never 
questioned,  I  think  he  had  lived  long  enough.  He 
had  lived  twelve  years  beyond  the  ordinary  period 
allotted  to  man.  He  had  accomplished  his  destiny 
with  honor  botli  to  himself  and  his  country.  He  had 
lived  to  see  his  children  and  his  children's  children 
growing  up  in  happiness  and  respectability.  He 
was  approaching  a  time  when  earth  could  have  no 
charms  for  him ;  and  may  we  not  rather  reckon  it  as 
one  of  his  blessings  that  he  was  permitted  to  with 
draw  to  his  better  home  before  the  infirmities  of  a<re 
should  mar  the  beauties  of  a  well-spent  life? 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    EAR.  177 

!_  Cincinnati  Commercial.] 

DEATH    OF    THOMAS    EWING,    SEN. 

The  death  of  lion.  Thomas  Ewing,  Sen.,  was  an 
nounced  in  the  United  States  Court  yesterday  after 
noon  at  five  o'clock,  "by  Colonel  C.  W.  Moulton,  who 
stated  that  he  did  not  think  the  occasion  a  proper 
one  for  pronouncing  a  eulogy  on  the  character  of 
the  deceased.  He  presumed  Judge  Swing  and  mem 
bers  of  the  bar  would  consider  it  fitting  to  take 
formal  action  in  reference  to  this  event  at  some  future 
time. 

Judge  Swing  stated  that  of  course  the  members  of 
the  Bar  of  this  city  would  not  allo\v  an  occasion  of 
this  kind  to  pass  without  making  some  public  de 
claration  of  their  esteem  for  the  lii^h  character  and 

O 

distinguished  services  of  Mr.  Ewino;.     In  his  remarks, 

o  o  / 

Judo-e   Swine;   also   stated  that   when  Daniel   Webster 

O  O 

died,  Mr.  E\ving  was  thought  the  only  man  able  to 
take  his  place  before  the  Bar  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  He  supposed  that  the  Bar  of 
Cincinnati  would  be  prepared  to  take  formal  action 
in  this  matter  upon  the  reassembling  of  Court  this 
morning,  as  the  death  of  so  great  and  so  good  a  man 
should  not  pass  unnoticed.  The  Court  then  ad 
journed. 

The  funeral  of  Mr.  Ewing  will  take  place  at  Lan 
caster,  Ohio,  at  eleven  o'clock  A.M.  on  Saturday,  and 
we  understand  that  members  of  the  bar,  who  desire 


178  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR. 

to  be  present,  can  reach  there  by  way  of  the  Little 
Miami  Railroad,  by  leaving  on  the  four-o'clock  P.M. 
train  to-day. 

THE  DEATH  OF  THE  HOJST.  THOMAS  EWING. 

Meeting  of  tlie  Bar  of  Ohio. 

ADDRESSES  BY  HON.  BELLAMY  STORER,  HON.  A.  F.  PERRY, 
HON.  HENRY  STANBERY,  JUDGE  II.  C.  WHITMAN,  JUDGE 
WARDEN,  JUDGE  CARTER,  NATHANIEL  WRIGHT,  AND 
OTHERS. 

The  members  of  the  Hamilton  County  Bar,  and 
distinguished  lawyers  from  other  parts  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  some  whose  professional  reputation  extend  over 
the  Union,  assembled  yesterday  in  the  United  States 
Court-room,  in  this  city,  to  offer  an  appropriate  tribute 
of  respect  to  the  memory  of  their  venerable  and  dis 
tinguished  brother  in  the  profession,  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Ewing.  Among  those  present  were  the  Hon.  E.  F. 
Noyes,  Governor  of  Ohio ;  A.  F.  Perry,  member  of 
Congress  for  the  First  District;  Judge  Swinsr,  of  the 

«~— '  *  O  *— ' ' 

United  States  Court ;  Judges  Storer  and  Taft,  of  the 
Superior  Court  of  Cincinnati;  Judge  Este,  Nathaniel 
Wright,  and  the  majority  of  the  leading  members  of 
the  Cincinnati  Bar. 

On  motion  of  T.  D.  Lincoln,  Judge  Este  was  called 
to  the  chair,  and,  on  motion  of  Warner  M.  Batenian? 
Judge  Charles  Fox  was  appointed  Secretary 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  179 

Judge  Whitman  rose  and  said  that  on  behalf  of  a 
committee  of  the  Bar,  heretofore  appointed,  lie  desired 
to  present  to  the  consideration  of  the  meeting  the 
resolutions  which  had  been  prepared.  They  are  as 
follows : 

RESOLUTIONS. 

"The  Hon.  Thomas  E\ving,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-two,  has  passed  away  from  among  us.  He 
died  full  of  years  and  honor,  a  great  man  and  a  great 
lawyer.  He  had  occupied  high  public  stations  in  the 
Senate  and  the  Cabinet ;  and  in  a  day  of  intellectual 
giants,  he  was  recognized  a  worthy  compeer  of  all. 

"  The  profession  mourns  its  ablest  member,  its  ac 
knowledged  leader ;  while  he  stood  at  the  head  of  the 
Ohio  Bar,  his  legal  reputation  was  also  national. 

"  He  added  new  lustre  to  the  noble  science  of  the 
law  by  the  skill,  power,  and  integrity  he  displayed 
in  its  development  and  application.  lie  was  bold, 
vigorous,  and  comprehensive  in  thought  and  expres 
sion.  He  seized  the  strong  points  of  a  case  as  by  in 
tuition,  and  in  marshalling  complicated  facts,  before 
either  court  or  jury,  he  was  not  excelled  even  by 
Webster.  His  intellect  was  massive  and  robust;  his 
power  of  analysis  extraordinary;  his  reading,  both  pro 
fessional  and  general,  large  and  accurate ;  his  percep 
tions  rapid ;  his  memory  wonderful ;  his  industry  un 
tiring  ;  his  energy,  both  physical  and  mental,  intense. 
His  lejjal  learning  embraced  all  the  branches  of  the 


180  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR. 

science ;  lie  was  equally  ready  and  able,  whether  dealing 
with,  the  broader  questions  of  international  law  or 
equity,  or  the  most  recondite  and  subtle  points  of  real- 
estate  learning  or  special  pleading.  He  carried  into 
his  practice,  at  all  times,  the  strictest  integrity,  the 
highest  honor,  and  the  utmost  fidelity  to  truth.  He 
scorned  all  low  and  cunning  arts  and  devices,  and 
nothing  more  moved  his  indignation  than  any  de 
parture  in  the  profession  from  truth  and  honor.  He 
has  left  to  his  brethren  of  the  bar  a  splendid  legal  and 
forensic  record. 

"  But  sweeter  and  more  glorious  than  that  intel 
lectual  record  is  the  higher,  better  one  of  his  private 
virtues  and  character.  Austere  in  morals,  stern  in 
patriotism,  a  lover  and  doer  of  justice,  faithful  in 
all  his  duties  as  a  citizen,  a  friend  and  defender  of 
the  poor  and  oppressed,  fearing  no  one,  however 
high,  despising  no  one,  however  lowly,  genial  in  word 
and  manner — this  was  known  to  all  his  friends. 

"  But  he  shone  best  and  brightest  in  his  own 
home.  Here  he  laid  aside  the  severity  of  science, 
and  was  winning,  gentle,  and  loving  as  a  child.  He 
was  friend  as  well  as  husband  and  father  in  his 
household,  and  all  its  members  loved  him  almost  to 
idolatry. 

"  In  his  death,  our  profession  has  lost  its  chief  orna 
ment,  the  State  its  greatest  citizen.  It  well  becomes 
us  to  do  honor  to  his  memory — '  Esto  perpetual 

"  lie-solved^  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions,  attested 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAT?.  181 

by  the  President  and  Secretary  of  this  meeting,  be  sent 
to  his  family,  and  also  published  in  the  papers  of  the 
State. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  United  States  Court  be  re 
quested  to  spread  them  upon  its  journal." 

Mr.  Staubery  moved  the  adoption  of  the  resolu 
tions. 

General  McLean  seconded  the  motion. 

REMARKS    OF    THE    HOX.    BELLAMY    STORER. 

Judge  Storer  then  rose  and  said :  Mr.  Ewing  came 
to  the  bar  one  year  before  I  was  admitted ;  he  was 
my  senior  in  age  seven  or  eight  years ;  but,  so  far 
as  the  practice  of  our  profession  was  concerned,  we 
are  almost  equal  in  point  of  time.  I  knew  him  well, 
although  we  were  separated  by  distance  between  the 
points  of  our  residence.  More  than  fifty  years  ago, 
I  first  made  his  acquaintance.  I  have  practised  with 
him  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
Two  years  of  my  life  were  spent  at  Washington  ;  he 
in  the  Senate,  and  I  in  the  Lower  House.  I  have 
had  opportunities  on  committees  to  confer  with  him 
on  points  connected  with  our  national  history  and 
our  national  character  and  honor.  We  separated 
nearly  forty  years  ago  in  public  life.  He  afterward 
was  called  to  the  position  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury 
and  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  and  so  far  as  any  inti 
mate  acquaintance  is  concerned  after  that  period,  there 

23 


182  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

was  but  little  between  us.  But  I  have  always  enter 
tained  the  highest  regard  for  his  honor,  his  legal  integ 
rity,  and  his  profound  knowledge,  not  merely  connected 
Avith  his  profession,  but  on  many  questions  of  science. 
The  literature  of  the  day  was  always  mastered  by 
him,  at  least  that  portion  of  it  worthy  of  being  read 
or  remembered.  He  had  a  nice  sense,  as  was  well 
remarked,  of  justice — -justice  that  was  formed  on  deep 
convictions  of  right,  not  on  any  temporary  rule  of 
practice  or  standard  that  meets  us  in  the  ordinary 
course  of  life,  but  on  that  elevated  ground  where  a 
man's  conscience,  enlightened  as  his  was,  becomes  the 
arbiter  of  his  conduct. 

But,  sir,  why  speak  of  a  man  whom  all  have 
honored,  respected,  and  admired  2  The  language  of 
these  resolutions  contains  all  that  may  be  said,  and  all 
that  need  be  said,  and  all  that  there  is  any  necessity 
for  commending  more  particularly  to  the  attention 
and  remembrance  of  those  who  have  heard  them 
to-day.  This  event  teaches  us  all  what  shadows  we 
are,  and  what  shadows  we  pursue.  We  are  reminded 
that  this  world  is  one  of  discipline,  one  of  continual 
effort,  one  that  is  not  a  blank  unless  it  is  made  so 
by  ourselves.  Thank  heaven !  there  is  no  blank  here 
in  the  biography.  It  may  be  said  of  him,  "  Nulla 
dies  sine  lineal  He  improved  every  minute  of  his 
time.  I  never  knew  a  man  more  industrious,  more 
methodical  in  all  his  legal  pursuits,  more  desirous 
to  understand  the  subjects  he  brought  his  mind  to 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  183 

grasp,  until  his  perceptions  were  as  clear  as  a  crystal. 
He  should  be  remembered  by  those  who  are  still 
young  in  the  profession  as  one  to  whose  example 
they  may  recur  with  profit  and  with  pleasure,  alike 
honorable  to  themselves  and  to  his  memory.  Sir,  you 
and  I  and  my  venerable  brother  who  sits  here  (Mr. 
Nathaniel  Wright),  and  who  it  affords  me  so  much 
pleasure  to  see  here,  are  left  among  the  few  who 
remember  the  departed  in  his  comparative  youth. 
We  have  been  spared  to  a  period  that  few  are  per 
mitted  in  the  order  of  Providence  to  attain.  What 
we  have  clone  is  known  to  that  Providence — our 
errors,  our  infirmities ;  and  whatever  has  been  profit 
able  to  our  fellow-men,  if  any  good  has  been  accom 
plished  by  us  in  the  profession,  if  we  have  vindicated 
the  law  of  humanity,  which  is  but  the  law  of  the 
Almighty,  those  who  knew  us  best,  when  our  bodies 
have  been  committed  to  the  earth,  will  be  able  to 
testify  to  our  brethren.  But  you  and  I,  sir,  wish  no 
monument  of  brass  or  stone ;  we  wish  only  to  be 
remembered  by  those  who  shall  have  charity  for  our 
failings,  and  who  have  the  deep  conviction  that,  in 
whatever  position  or  office  of  importance  we  were 
permitted  to  hold,  our  great  anxiety  was  to  perform 
our  duty,  leaving  the  rest  to  Him  before  whom  we 
must  all  appear.  I/>t  us  remember  that  Thomas 
Ewing  lived,  but  not  in  vain ;  that  he  died,  but  still 
lives  for  our  example  and  our  study. 


184  PEOCEEDI^GS    OF   THE    BAE. 


EEMAEKS    OF   HON.    IIEISTEY    STANBEEY. 

The  HOE.  Henry  Stanbery  tlien  addressed  the  meet 
ing : 

Mr.   Chairman  and  Brethren  of  the  Bar : 

I  am  but  just  returned  from  Lancaster,  from  assisting 
at  the  last  sad  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a  friend — our 
deceased  brother.  I  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  see  my 
friend  once  more  alive,  but  it  was  not  too  late  to  see 
that  well-remembered  face,  cold,  pale,  solemn,  with  no 
answering  look  of  recognition,  which  I  never  missed 
before  in  my  life.  There,  Mr.  Chairman,  in  that  beauti 
ful  town  he  has  made  so  famous;  there,  in  that  old 
homestead  where  he  enjoyed  all  the  happiness  that 
belongs  to  domestic  life ;  there,  surrounded  by  every 
child  that  was  ever  born  to  him ;  there,  with  every  duty 
of  life  fulfilled  and  accomplished,  he  passed  from  earth, 
and  from  there  his  body  was  taken  to  that  neighboring 
cemetery,  where,  by  the  side  of  that  wife  he  loved  so 
well,  I  saw  him  laid  quietly  away.  I  feel  in  no  con 
dition,  Mr.  President,  to  speak  of  Mr.  Ewing  as  he 
deserves  to  be  spoken  of — as  a  lawyer  and  a  member 
of  the  bar.  It  is  the  man  and  the  friend  I  miss  now. 
My  mind  reverts  to  an  early  time,  and  to  Mr.  Ewing  as 
he  was  almost  a  half  a  century  ago.  I  remember  well 
that  day  I  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme 
Court  in  Gallipolis.  He  was  on  the  committee  that 
examined  me.  Ah !  what  a  circle  of  men  there  were 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAK.  185 

at  that  time  on  that  committee,  and  on  the  bench 
of  that  court — Burnett,  Heath,  Goddard,  King  (the  all- 
accomplished),  Douglas,  Putnam,  and  Ewing!  When 
did  the  bar  or  bench  see  such  an  array  as  that? — and 
now  the  last  of  them  is  gone.  Having  finished  their 
business  in  the  court,  Mr.  Ewing,  my  friend  Goddard, 
and  myself  started  away  together  on  horseback.  Well 
do  I  recollect  that  morning  in  May  !  Mr.  E wing's  point 
of  destination  was  Lancaster,  ours  Zanesville.  As  we 
rode  along,  oppressed  by  the  heat,  we  passed  a  grove  of 
tempting  shade.  Mr.  Ewing,  quoting  from  the  first 
Bucolic  the  lines  addressed  to  Tityrus,  invited  us  to 
repose  in  the  shade.  There  it  was  he  invited  me  to 
come  to  Lancaster,  travel  with  him  through  the  circuit, 
and  become  acquainted  with  the  practice.  I  was  not 
slow  to  accept  the  invitation.  In  less  than  a  week,  I 
was  in  Lancaster,  and  from  that  time  for  a  period  of 
fully  seven  years,  I  studied  with  him  in.  his  office,  rode 
with  him  on  his  circuit — a  laro;e  one — following  with 

O  O 

willing  but  all  unequal  footsteps  his  great  leadership, 
witnessing  his  noble  efforts  at  the  bar,  and  learning  from 
him  what  it  is  that  makes  a  lawyer.  It  seems  to  me  I 
can  see  him  now  as  he  was  then.  I  first  knew  him  in 
May,  1824,  then  in  his  thirty-fifth  year,  a  man  marked 
with  a  grand  physical  organization,  such  as  is  rarely 
seen  united  to  such  mental  powers  as  lie  possessed. 
Age  had  not  yet  impressed  any  traces  of  its  advance. 
He  stood  fully  six  feet  high,  well  developed,  possessing 
great  physical  powers,  swift-footed,  matchless  in  the 


1[6  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAB. 

race,  first  in  all  athletic  exercises — such  a  man  physi 
cally  as  one  rarely  looks  upon.  Yet  it  was  not  that 
which,  was  so  much  the  attraction  as  that  fine,  intellec 
tual  face,  that  head  well  poised  upon  liis  ample  shoul 
ders.  One  could  see  in  looking  at  the  physical  man  that 
he  endured  a  life  of  early  labor ;  but  what  was  rarely 
seen  in  such  a  life  was  its  combination  with  such  a  head 
and  such  a  face.  I  have  seen  many  men  work  their  way 
up  through  labor  and  early  toil  into  intellectual  life,  but 
never  have  known  one  whose  face  showed  so  little  of  the 
early  impress  of  time  and  mere  labor.  It  was  all  over 
intellectual,  and  at  any  time  he  might  have  sat  as  a 
study  for  a  sculptor  or  a  painter. 

It  Avas  in  these  seven  years,  from  1824  to  1831,  before 
he  entered  political  life,  and  when  his  great  powers  and 
forensic  abilities  were  all  in  full  play,  Mr. -E  wing  was  to 
be  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage.  I  confess  I  missed 
something  of  that  fire  when  he  left  the  bar  for  political 
life.  I  shall  never  forget  him  as  he  was  from  the  age  of 
thirty-five  to  forty-two,  though  from  that  day  to  this  we 
must  regard  him  as  one  of  the  Greatest  men  of  the 

o  o 

nation.  I  may  say  that,  with  one  exception,  and  that  is 
Webster,  I  know  of  none  in  whom  I  could  recognize 
more  ability  and  forensic  power  than  in  Ewing.  Among 
his  chief  qualities  was  his  ability  in  discussing  questions 
of  fact  before  a  j  ury.  Though  able  to  discuss  any  ques 
tion  before  a  court,  it  seems  to  me  his  grandest  efforts 
were  as  an  advocate  before  a  jury.  Of  all  the  men  I 
have  ever  listened  to,  he  was  the  greatest  master  of  facts. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR.  187 

When  he  entered  political  life,  our  relations,  though  not 
so  close,  continued.  He  was  often  en^a^ed  in  the  Su- 

o    o 

preme  Court,  where  I  met  him  frequently  with  Wirt, 
Lee,  Webster,  Choate,  Davis,  and  the  two  Johnsons,  and 
our  own  Doddridge  and  Hammond,  among  the  greatest 
lawyers  that  we  ever  had.  Among  these  he  took  his 
place  in  the  foremost  rank,  second  to  none,  as  a  great 
lawyer,  save  Webster  alone.  Plow  these  two  names  are 
associated  in  my  recollection !  Nothing  could  be  more 
delightful  than  to  hear  their  ordinary  conversation,  when 
the  lawyers  sat  around,  a  listening  and  attentive  audi 
ence.  One  day,  Ewing  was  absent,  and,  on  his  coming 
in  the  next  day,  Webster  said:  "  Ewing,  you  were  not 
here  yesterday,'1  and  then  he  quoted  from  that  beautiful 
eleiry  he  loved  so  well  the  verse  commencing; : 

•—«/  O 

"  One  morning  I  missed  him  from  the  accustomed  hill." 

I  shall  never  forget  that  scene,  or  the  pathos  and  beauty 
with  which  Webster  repeated  these  words. 

There  are  many  that  did  not  understand  Ewing 
in  his  character  as  a  man.  Great  as  he  was  as  a  lawyer, 
his  private,  domestic,  friendly  traits,  his  moral  nature, 
attracted  me  even  more.  Never  was  there  a  more  affec 
tionate  son,  never  a  more  devoted  husband,  never  a  more 
loving  father.  Some  have  supposed,  seeing  him  in  fits 
of  abstraction,  that  he  was  forbidding  and  repulsive. 
My  friends,  there  never  was  a  more  loving  nature  than 
his.  With  a  heart  as  tender  as  a  woman's,  I  have  seen 
that  manly  face  time  and  again  suffused  with  tears. 


188  PEOCEEDIjSTGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

He  was  liberal,  all-embracing  in  his  friendship,  never 
deserting  a  friend.     That  was  the  character  of  the  man, 

o 

and  no  one  feels  or  can  feel  his  loss  more  as  a  friend 
than  I  do ;  for,  Mr.  Chairman,  if  I  have  at  all  learned 
what  must  go  to  make  up  a  lawyer,  if  I  have  attained  to 
any  success  at  the  bar,  whatever  it  may  be,  I  owe  more 
to  the  teaching  and  example  of  Thomas  Ewing  than  to 
any  man,  living  or  dead.  I  feel  that  there  is  a  debt  of 
gratitude  on  me  I  cannot  discharge,  and  I  shall  always 
with  great  pleasure  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity, 
whenever  it  offers,  to  speak  of  him  as  a  lawyer,  and  of 
the  lesson  he  has  set  to  the  younger  brethren.  Of  all 
things  in  the  way  of  preparation  for  the  bar — I  do  not 
speak  of  moral  qualifications — but  of  all  other  things  his 
example  taught  me,  was  a  thorough  preparation  of  my 
case.  O  my  friends  !  I  found  the  advantage  and  neces 
sity  of  it  when  I  came  to  contend  with  him  in  forensic 
discussion.  Then  all  that  saved  me  were  the  weapons 
he  put  into  my  hands,  the  armor  with  which  he  encased 
me.  His  life  affords  a  study  for  all  of  us,  but  it  is  to  the 
young,  the  ambitious  lawyer  who  intends  to  work  his 
way  up,  the  lesson  must  be  of  most  interest. 


EEMAEK3    OF    THE    HOX.    A.    F.    PEEEY. 

Mr.   Perry  next  addressed   the   meeting   as   follows : 

ME.   CHAIKMAN:    The  figure   which  has   disappeared 
from  our  bar  was  a  grand  one,  and,  once  seen,  cannot  be 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BA1S.  189 

easily  forgotten.  The  intellectual  character  of  the  man 
was  conspicuous  and  powerful.  He  was  a  great  man 
and  a  great  lawyer.  It  is  not  desirable  on  this  occasion 
to  rehearse  with  particularity  the  incidents  of  a  long  life, 
so  much  observed  by  his  countrymen.  If  at  any  place 
reached  by  his  fame,  or  before  any  audience  of  Ameri 
cans,  it  would  be  needful  to  tell  what  he  has  clone, 
assuredly  that  place  is  not  in  Ohio,  nor  that  audience  an 
assemblage  of  Ohio  lawyers. 

There  was  published  in  a  newspaper  many  years  ago 
a  biographical  sketch  of  the  earlier  part  of  the  life  of 
Mr.  Ewiug.  It  set  forth  in  detail,  and  with  a  degree  of 
fulness  which  I  have  not  seen  in  any  other  production, 
the  circumstances  of  his  father's  family  and  the  incidents 
of  Mr.  Swing's  boyhood.  I  do  not  know  who  wrote  it, 
but  it  was  recognized  by  Mr.  Ewing  as  correct.  I  have 
not  lately  seen  the  article  in  its  original  form,  but  I 
think  that  a  biographical  sketch  published  in  one  of  our 
city  papers  since  the  death  of  Mr.  Ewing  was  made  up 
of  a  copy  of  that  article,  with  additions  relating  to  his 
later  life. 

The  biography  of  Mr.  Ewing,  published  in  the  New 
AmericanOyclopa&dia,  so  far  as  it  related  to  his  earlier  life, 
was  abbreviated  from  that  newspaper  article.  But  the 
incidents  of  his  official  career  were  carefully  collated 
from  public  documents  and  from  the  debates  of  Con 
gress.  The  space  allowed  for  it  by  the  publishers  requir 
ed  the  utmost  condensation,  and  permitted  little  more 
than  the  merest  abstract  of  events  and  dates.  But  it 


M 


190  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR. 

covered  the  most  active  part  of  his  career,  and  included 
all  his  official  services,  with  one  doubtful  exception. 
The  volume  containing  this  article  was  published  in 
1859.  In  1861,  Mr.  Ewing  was  a  member  of  that 
assemblage  known  as  the  Peace  Conference. 

O 

The  Conference  was  invited  by  the  State  of  Virginia. 
The  members  from  Ohio  w^ere  appointed  by  the  Governor 
of  the  State,  and  Mr.  Ewincj  was  one  of  them.  The 

/  O 

gravity  of  the  occasion,  and  the  public  interest  centred 
upon  it  at  the  time,  were  such  that  his  service  there  may 
perhaps  be  accounted  part  of  his  official  career,  though 
the  Conference  had  no  authority  or  sanction  in  any  con 
stitution,  State  or  Federal,  and  its  proceedings  wrere 
abortive.  His  part  in  that  conference,  as  in  most  other 
transactions  shared  by  him,  was  conspicuous.  A  com 
mittee  composed  of  one  member  from  each  State,  selected 
by  the  Commissioners,  as  they  wrere  called,  of  the  States, 
was  constituted,  with  authority  to  consider  all  proposi 
tions  for  the  adjustment  of  existing  difficulties  between 
States,  and  to  report  "  wrbat  they  may  deem  right,  neces 
sary,  "and  proper  to  restore  harmony  and  preserve  the 
Union."  Mr.  Ewing  was  chosen  by  his  colleagues  from 
Ohio  as  the  Ohio  member  of  that  committee.  The  Con 
ference  sat  twenty-three  days,  during  wrhich  time  its 
labors  engaged  the  anxious  and  almost  undivided 
attention  of  the  country.  It  recommended  a  series  of 
amendments  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
which  were  subsequently  considered  by  Congress,  in  con 
nection  with  other  projects  for  avoiding  a  civil  wrar. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAK.  191 

But  the  time  Lad  gone  by  for  such  conciliations,  and  war 
followed. 

With  the  exception  of  Mr.  Ewiug's  service  at  this  Con 
ference,  the  biographical  sketch  in  the  Ct/clopcedia  covers 
his  entire  official  career,  and  was  recognized  by  Mr. 
Ewing  as  correct.  The  newspaper  article,  and  the  article 
in  the  Cyclopaedia  to  which  I  have  referred,  form  the 
basis  for  all  the  published  sketches  w^hich  I  have  seen. 
Some  of  the  newspaper  articles  published  since  his 
death  continue  the  narrative,  with  an  appearance  of 
authenticity,  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

The  main  works  of  Mr.  Ewin^'s  life  were  at  the  bar. 

O 

His  fame  was  spread  abroad  and  his  great  capacity  made 
more  widely  known  by  his  public  official  positions.  But 
his  grade  as  a  man  of  intelligence  was  definitely  that  of 
his  grade  at  the  bar.  His  first  official  position  was  that 
of  Senator  of  the  United  States,  to  which  he  was  elected 
at  the  age  of  forty-two.  He  served  one  term,  and 
returned  to  the  bar.  At  about  the  age  of  fifty-two,  he 
became  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  under  President  Har 
rison.  After  about  six  months,  he  retired  from  office,  and 
returned  to  the  bar.  At  about  the  age  of  fifty-nine  he 
was  placed  in  the  Cabinet  of  President  Taylor,  as  Secre 
tary  of  the  Interior.  At  about  the  age  of  sixty,  he  was 
again  elected  to  the  Senate  to  fill  an  unexpired  term, 
having  about  a  year  to  serve,  after  which  he  returned 
again  to  the  bar.  His  whole  official  life  occupied  less 
than  nine  years. 

He  took  his  place  in  the  Senate  in  1831,  one  of  the 


192  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE, 

last  years  of  the  Administration  of  President  Jackson. 
His  position  was  gained  and  held  without  the  help  of 
Government  patronage;  for  the  party  with  which  he 
acted  was  in  a  minority.  Afterwards,  when  he  was  made 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  under  President  Harrison, 
and  still  later,  when  made  Secretary  of  the  Department 
of  the  Interior,  under  President  Taylor,  the  same  thing 
was  true.  The  successes  of  his  party  were  victories 
gained  by  main  strength,  not  only  without,  but  against, 
the  influence  of  patronage.  The  high  positions  awarded, 
him  were  due  alone  to  his  character  and  abilities. 

When  he  entered  the  Senate,  Ohio  did  not  hold  the 
same  relative  position  in  the  public  councils  which  she 
holds  now,  but  was  regarded  rather  as  a  frontier  State. 
Mr.  Webster,  on  constitutional  law  and  questions  of 
finance,  occupied,  without  a  peer,  the  whole  field  of 
debate.  In  the  political  organization  of  the  party,  Mr. 
Clay  was  fast  anchored  in  an  unquestioned  and  unap 
proachable  ascendency.  But  Mr.  Ewing  made  himself 
promptly  felt.  If  I  should  describe  here  the  rapidity 
and  strength  with  which  he  grasped  the  controlling 
themes  of  the  time,  a  true  description  would  seem  like 
an  exasperation.  One  has  need  to  trace  him  through 

OO  O 

those  volumes  of  animated,  sometimes  acrimonious 
debates  to  measure  his  enormous  vitality.  Although 
in  a  minority,  it  was  chiefly  his  exertions  which  forced 
a  reorganization  of  the  Post-office  Department  and  of 
the  General  Land  Office.  I  do  not  mean  merely  a 
change  of  persons,  but  a  reconstruction  of  the  laws 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  11)3 

which  related  to  those  important  branches  of  the 
Government.  To  enumerate  his  services  during  those 
six  years  would  be  to  trace  the  leading  incidents  in 
the  history  of  the  Senate  during  that  time.  He  spoke 
upon  the  Specie  Circular,  upon  the  removal  of  the 
deposits  from  the  United  States  banks,  upon  the 
tariff,  upon  the  Force  Bill.  His  speeches  were  alive 
with  power.  In  a  word,  he  commanded  the  respectful 
attention  and  deference  of  an  audience  accustomed  to 
listen  to  Calhoun,  Clay,  and  Webster.  In  that  one  term, 
he  achieved  a  national  reputation,  and  fixed  his  grade  as 
one  of  the  strong  men  of  the  United  States. 

O 

But  Avho  does  not  know  that  the  field-days  of  the 
Senate  are  play  compared  with  the  contests  of  the  bar? 

The  first  time  I  saw  Mr.  Ewing  was  in  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Ohio,  at  its  December  term  for  1838.  His 
Senatorial  term  had  expired.  The  case  was  the  Bank 
of  Chillicothe  vs.  Swayne  and  others,  reported  in  8  O. 
R.  253.  The  last  case  in  which  I  remember  to  have 
seen  him  was  the  McMicken  will  case,  in  this  Court. 
More  than  twenty  years  intervened,  during  all  which 
time,  and  before  and  after,  he  was  distinguished  for 

I  '  O 

substantially  the  same  qualities,  and  ranked  at  the 
head  of  the  bar.  I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  his 
professional  employments  were  more  numerous  or 
successful  than  the  employments  of  some  others,  nor 
that  there  were  not  others  whose  services,  even  in  a 
great  and  difficult  case,  might  be  as  valuable  to 
clients;  but  I  mean  that  the  qualities  by  which 


194  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAE. 

lie  was  distinguished  were  great  qualities,  and  would 
not  permit  that  at  the  Ohio  bar,  or  the  bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  or  at  the 
English  bar,  his  grade  should  be  thought  of  as 
inferior  to  any  other.  He  would  have  taken  posses 
sion  of  the  sight  and  thoughts  of  men,  and  become  a 
central  figure  anywhere.  Almost  a  giant  in  stature, 
well  formed,  with  head  and  features  of  classic  mould,  his 
mind  and  body  were  fitted  to  each  other.  Direct  and 
unconventional  in  manner,  plain  in  attire  as  in  speech, 
his  movements  of  body  and  mind  had  an  impetus  sug 
gestive  of  power  to  render  obstructions  futile.  In  the 
Senate  as  at  the  bar,  he  always  struck  directly,  and  with 
main  force,  for  the  key  of  the  situation.  There  was  not 
always  absent  something  of  the  unconscious  air  of  a  con 
queror.  An  opponent  in  debate  had  need  of  self-reliance 
and  a  steady  balance  of  the  nervous  system ;  not  that 
Mr.  Ewing  was  rude  or  otherwise  unpleasant  in  debate, 
but  because,  aside  from  intellectual  processes  and  legal 
knowledge,  his  presence  carried  with  it  an  uadefinable 
ascendency  of  will  or  character. 

He  Avas  a  lover  of  literature  and  an  extensive  general 
reader.  In  conversation,  he  was  fond  of  playful  anec 
dotes  and  literary  allusions.  But  in  speech  his  thought 
moved  to  its  aim  with  too  grand  an  impetus  to  wait  for 
ornamentation.  He  had  the  faculty  of  labor  which 
habitually  explored  for  the  whole  reach  and  bottom  of 
his  subject.  I  am  not  aware  that  I  have  ever  met  a 
stronger  man.  In  logical  power  and  breadth  of  thought, 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAK.  195 

he  was  not  inferior  to  Mr.  Webster.  In  Mr.  Webster's 
mind,  imagination  was  a  more  prominent  feature  than  in 
Mr.  Ewing's,  and  I  think  the  artistic  faculty,  as  seen  in 
the  construction  and  ornamentation  of  his  speeches,  was 
more  in  use  with  Mr.  Webster. 

But  for  breadth,  impetus,  and  logical  force,  Mr. 
Swing's  mind  had  no  superior,  at  least  none  which  has 
come  within  the  range  of  my  observation.  At  a  critical 
and  trying  period  in  his  political  fortunes,  I  had  reason 
to  suppose  myself  in  his  confidence,  and  had  free  con 
ferences  with  him.  The  circumstances  were  vexatious, 
and  difficulties  too  great  to  be  overcome.  But  I  never 
heard  him  suggest  the  use  of  unfair  or  unmanly  means. 
It  may  be  that  the  necessary  struggles  of  his  early  years 
fixed  upon  him  an  aspect  of  sternness  which  he  carried 
through  the  vigor  of  his  life.  It  may  be  that  conscious 
ness  of  intellectual  strength  became  the  law  of  his  ex 
istence.  His  nature  was  too  large  and  full  not  to  be 
moved  by  genuine  sympathies;  but  it  was  sometimes 
possible  to  wish  them  more  demonstrative.  In  his  latter 
years,  after  his  combats  were  ended,  all  this  was  changed. 
A  more  lovable,  affectionate,  sympathetic  nature  was 
never  bestowed  on  man  or  woman.  As  he  neared  the 
evening  horizon,  the  orb  of  his  being  seemed  to  grow 
larger;  its  rays  neither  penetrated  nor  scorched  any 
more,  but  filled  the  scene  with  tramjuil  affections.  At 
the  short  session  of  the  Forty-second  Congress,  held  last 
spring,  pending  a  debate  said  to  have  been  unprece 
dented,  he  appeared  on  the  floor  of  the  House,  supported 


196  PEOCEEDESTGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

by  a  friend,  and  was  seated  for  a  time.  As  be  surveyed 
the  actors  there,  his  features  kindled  with  the  wonted 
play  of  his  great  faculties.  His  presence  was  majestic 
and  venerable.  lie  will  not  appear  in  that  House  any 
more,  nor  in  the  Senate,  nor  in  the  Cabinet,  nor  at  the 
bar. 

While  arguing  in  this  Court  the  McMicken  will  case, 
he  used  an  expression,  considerately  muffled,  which  could 
mean  nothing  else  than  negation  of  religious  belief.  It 

o  o  o 

did  not  imply  positive  disbelief,  but  simple  absence  of 
belief.  With  such  a  mind  as  his,  the  line  between 
religious  belief  and  the  want  of  it  is  narrow.  It  depends 
upon  the  existence  of  Deity  and  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  belief  in  those  is  less  the  result  of  reason  than  of 
intuition ;  rather  a  part  of  the  constitution  of  the  mind 
than  a  product  of  the  mental  operations.  It  would  seem 
that  as  his  will,  the  dominating  trait  of  his  mental 
structure,  subordinated  itself  to  the  supremacy  of  his 
affections,  he  left  that  side  of  the  line  on  which  he  stood 
at  the  McMicken  argument,  and  passed  over  to  the  side 
where  stood  his  departed  companions  at  the  bar,  God- 
dard,  Wilcox,  Hitchcock,  McLean ;  where  also  waited  for 
him  the  departed  mother  of  his  children. 

EEMAEKS    OF    NATHANIEL    WEIGHT. 

Mr.  Nathaniel  Wright  said  he  wished  to  make  a  few 
remarks,  more  particularly  in  regard  to  the  character  of 
Mr.  Ewing.  It  was  very  noble  and  very  lovely.  It  is 
not  much,  even  in  these  degenerate  days,  to  say  of  a  man 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR.  197 

that  he  was  upright,  just,  firm  in  principle,  faithful  in 
duty,  steadfast  as  a  rock  in  what  he  believed  to  be  right. 
These  were  traits  which  every  lawyer  should  possess; 
but  there  was  something  peculiar,  something  gentle  and 
genial  about  his  nature  that  threw  a  charm  over  his 
character,  and  attracted  everybody  to  him.  He  was 
thrown,  in  the  latter  days  of  his  life,  into  positions  which 
provoke  not  unfrequently  the  sarcasms  and  bitter  ven 
geance  of  party  spirit;  but  it  is  remarkable  that,  if  we 
look  over  the  newspapers  of  that  day,  we  do  not  find  in 
any  of  the  popular  declarations  or  harangues  anything  of 
personal  bitter  abuse.  His  friends  who  differed  with 
him  believed  he  was  an  upright,  conscientious  man, 
whom  everybody  must  respect ;  and  outside  of  that  circle 
over  the  nation  at  large  there  was  a  kind  of  atmosphere 
of  character  pertaining  to  him  that  pervaded  the  wdiole 
nation — a  general  sentiment  of  respect  toward  the  princi 
ples,  character,  and  conduct  of  the  man.  His  character 
\\MS  to  be  studied,  especially  by  the  members  of  the  bar. 
True  worth  in  his  case  reaped  its  reward  in  this  world, 
and  surely  will  in  a  better  one. 

REMARKS    OF   HOX.    A.    G.    W.    CARTER. 

Mr.  President  and  Brothers  of  tlie  Bar : 

11  The  death  of  those  distinguished  by  their  station, 
But  by  their  virtue  more,  awakes  the  mind 
To  solemn  dread,  and  strikes  a  saddening  awe : 
Not  that  we  grieve  for  them,  but  for  ourselves, 
Left  to  the  toil  of  life." 

We  of  his  brethren  "left  to  the  toil  of  life,"  who  are 


PIIOCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR, 

assembled  here  this  day  to  give  due  respect  and  honor 
to  the  memory  of  the  departed  Thomas  Ewing,  are  not 
called  upon  to  grieve  or  lament,  but  rather  to  rejoice  in 
the  memory  of  the  great  traits  of  character  of  the 

deceased,  and  to  thank  Heaven  that  his  life  was  so  lono: 

~ 

and  so  useful,  and  that  he  has  arisen  to  a  higher  sphere 
of  existence,  in  which  his  life  is  continued  to  accomplish 
far  greater  and  better  results  than  when  clogged  by  the 
material  grossness  of  this  earthly  being.  We  rejoice  to 
know  that  he  who  has  departed  was  distinguished  by  his 
station,  but  by  his  virtue  more;  and  although  our  minds 
have  been  awakened  to  solemn  dread,  and  struck  with 
saddening  awe,  it  is  not  that  we  grieve  for  him,  but  for 
ourselves.  We  meet  together  to  do  honor  to  the  excel 
lence  of  his  life  for  the  sake  of  the  living,  and  not  for  the 

O? 

dead.      We  who  survive  here  convene  together  to  mani- 

O 

lest  to  the  world  that  we  shall  keep  in  sacred  memory, 
and  respect,  and  love,  and  affection  what  was  great  and 
good  of  our  departed  brother,  and  hold  it  ever  close  and 
dear  in  our  minds  and  hearts,  that  we  may  be  the  better 
for  it,  and,  in  our  lives  here,  may  be  enabled  to  accom 
plish  more  good  and  use  for  the  benefit  of  human- 

ity. 

"  Wise  judges  are  we  of  each  other." 

From  the  very  nature  of  ourselves  and  our  existence,  it 
is  quite  impossible  for  any  one  of  us  to  sit  in  judgment 
upon  another.  No  one  can  judge  us  properly  and  truly 
but  He  who  seeth  all  things.  We  come  not  to  judge  of 
Mr.  Ewino- !  We  come  to  do  honor  to  those  noble  traits 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAP.  190 

of  his  conduct  of  life  which  were  so  apparent  that  all 
who  ever  knew  him  or  had  his  acquaintance  might  readily 
see.  "We  judge  not,  that  we  be  not  judged;  and  what 
we  shall  say  of  Mr.  Ewing  shall  not  be  in  the  spirit  of 
judgment,  but  in  the  spirit  of  praise  and  laudation,  for 
high  and  great  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  which  cer 
tainly  and  eminently  belonged  to  him.  His  death  does 
not  grieve  us;  he  lived  long,  and  nobly,  and  full  of 
honors.  "We  deplore  not  his  death ;  for 

u  All  that  live  must  die, 
Passing  through  nature  to  eternity." 

But  we  rejoice  in  his  great,  exemplary  life,  and  are  glad 
to  know  that  in  such  a  world  as  this  there  was  such  a 
man  and  such  a  life ! 

I  remember  that,  while  I  was  yet  a  youth  at  college, 
the  name  of  Thomas  Ewing  as  a  lawyer  and  a  statesman 
stood  foremost  amon<*  the  sreat  sons  of  Ohio.  lie  had 

O  O 

then  achieved  the  lofty  position  of  Senator  from  Ohio  in 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  as  such  was  liisjli 

/  O 

in  rank  among  the  then  great  names  of  the  Senate.  His 
name  was  frequently  associated  with  those  of  Clay  and 
"Webster,  and  the  people  of  Ohio  of  all  parties  felt  proud 
of  his  name  and  his  standing.  His  first  service  as 
United  States  Senator  was  from  the  year  1831  to  1837  ; 
when  retiring  from  the  strife  of  political  life,  he  returned 
to  his  peaceful  home  in  Lancaster,  and  resumed  his 
practice  of  the  law.  This  was  Mr.  Ewing's  first  political 
position — that  of  a  Senator  of  the  United  States.  It  is 


200  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

given  to  but  a  few  of  our  fellow-citizens  to  achieve  at 
the  start  in  public  life  so  high  a  position.  Mr.  Ewing 
before  this — from  the  year  1810,  when  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  this  State — had  been  practising  law  with 
distinguished  success  in  the  courts  of  the  State  and  of 
the  United  States,  and  from  his  position  as  an  eminent 
lawyer  was  at  once  transferred  to  a  seat  in  the  national 
Senate.  He  had  not  been  a  hackneyed,  ambitious  poli 
tician,  a  seeker  for  place  and  office,  but,  honored  for  his 
political  wisdom,  he  was  considered  a  great  statesman, 
and  the  Whig  party  of  that  day,  without  action  or  solici 
tation  upon  his  part,  placed  him  in  high,  honorable  posi 
tion  ;  and,  when  he  was  once  so  placed,  he  did  honor  to 
his  State  and  the  nation,  acquiring  for  himself  at  once 
a  national  reputation  equal  almost  to  that  of  any  senator 
in  the  Union. 

In  the  year  1841,  on  the  accession  of  President  Harri 
son,  Mr.  Ewing  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the  Treasury, 
which  office  he  held  until  September  of  that  year,  when., 
with,  other  members  of  President  Harrison's  cabinet,  he 
resigned  his  office,  unwilling  to  follow  the  fortunes  of 
the  administration  of  John  Tyler,  who  had  succeeded 
to  the  Presidency  on  the  demise  of  General  Harrison. 
Again  Mr.  Ewing  retired  to  private  life,  and  again  re 
sumed  the  practice  of  the  law.  When  General  Taylor 
was  made  President,  in  1849,  Mr.  Ewing  was  again 
called  to  the  councils  of  the  nation,  and  he  organized 
the  newly-created  Department  of  the  Interior,  having 
been  appointed  the  Secretary.  In  1850,  after  the  demise 


PROCEEDINGS    07    THE    B\R.  201 

of  General   Taylor,   Mr.  Ewin^   resigned    his   office   a* 

*/  O 

Secretary  of  tlie  Interior,  and  was  appointed  l>y  the 
Governor  of  Ohio  once  more  to  the  United  States 
Senate,  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Mr.  Corwin,  who 
had  been  appointed  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  by  Presi 
dent  Fillmore.  He  served  as  Senator  until  the  year 
1851,  when,  his  term  of  office  having  expired,  he  once 
more  gave  up  public  employment,  and  betook  himself 
to  the  practice  of  the  law.  No  more  do  we  hear  of  him 
in  public  station  until  the  year  1861,  when,  the  great 
civil  war  threatening,  the  Governor  of  our  State,  because 
of  his  great  fitness,  appointed  Mr.  Ewing  as  a  Peace 
Commissioner  in  the  ill-starred  National  Peace  Confer 
ence  called  together  by  the  State  of  Virginia.  This 
Peace  Convention,  as  all  know,  was  an  utter  failure ; 
and  Mr.  Ewing,  now  in  declining  age,  gave  up  public 
position  entirely.  But  during  the  war  of  the  great 
Rebellion,  he  was  by  no  means  still,  in  his  private  sta 
tion.  Having  done  all  he  could  to  stay  the  bloody  and 
unholy  work  in  the  beginning,  his  voice  and  pen  were 
nobly  on  the  side  of  the  Union  when  the  cry  was, 
"Havoc,  and  let  loose  the  dogs  of  war!"  And  when, 
too,  the  cruel  war  was  over,  Mr.  Ewing,  from  his  private 
place  and  peaceful  home,  was  again  ready,  in  his  true- 
born  patriotism,  to  counsel  his  countrymen  to  forget  and 
forgive,  and  thus  more  strongly  and  thoroughly  per 
petuate  the  bonds  of  union,  and  restore  the  peace  and 
happiness  of  his  countrymen  and  the  glory  of  his 
nation. 


202  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

This,  then,  is  a  brief  epitome  of  the  public 
services  of  our  distinguished  departed  friend.  In 
his  life,  though,  perhaps  often,  lie  was  not  long 
in  office ;  but  when  in  office,  he  was  the  true  patriot 
and  the  true  statesman.  lie  was  always  for  his  coun 
try,  anil,  without  any  selfish  consideration,  his  duties 
he  performed  for  the  good  of  the  people.  I  never  be 
longed  to  the  same  political  party  as  did  Mr.  Ewing— 
being  always,  until  of  late  years,  of  the  opposite  party 
in  politics — but  I  have  this  to  eay  of  Mr.  Ewing,  that  I 
never  saw  aught  in  him.  of  political  guile  or  machina 
tion.  Indeed,  I  never  looked  upon  him  as  a  mere  politi 
cian.  In  public  character,  he  was  always  to  me  a  states 
man,  and  as  such  I  viewed  him.  Personally,  of  late 
years,  coming  sometimes  in  contact  with  him  and  get 
ting  well  acquainted  with  him,  my  opinion  of  him  as  a 
statesman  and  a  true  patriot  was  greatly  confirmed.  I 
remember  a  conversation  I  had  with  him  just  at  the 
close  of  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  when  the  uppermost 
question  was  what  was  to  be  done  with  the  States  lately 
in  rebellion,  and  his  significant  reply  was,  "They  must 
be  treated  as  Territories,  and,  at  the  proper  time,  must 
be  readmitted  into  the  Union."  This  was  the  first  time 
that  I  had  heard  that  idea  su^s-ested ;  and,  even  at  this 

OO  '  > 

late  day,  it  frequently  occurs  to  me,  particularly  in  con 
sideration  of  all  that  has  happened  since,  that  it  would 
have  been  the  wisest  and  surest  plan  of  reconstructing 
the  Union.  In  his  subdued  asre  and  latter  life,  Mr. 

O  / 

Ewing,  with  all  his  faculties  about  him,  was  still  the 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE.  203 

• 

patriot  and  statesman.     lie  bad  lived  a  long  life  as  such, 
and  as  sucli  lie  died,  when— 

"  He  gave  his  honors  to  the  world  again, 
Ilis  blessed  part  to  heaven,  and  slept  in  peace." 

But,  brethren  of  the  bar,  it  particularly  concerns  us  to 
speak  of  our  honored  friend  as  a  lawyer.  It  was  in  the 
profession  of  the  law  that  he  was  especially  one  of  us— 
our  brother.  There  are  some  of  venerable  years  among 
us  at  that  time,  who  were  associated  and  intimate  with 
Mr.  Ewing  in  professional  relations,  and  one  of  these  has 
addressed  us  in  feeling  and  eloquent  terms.  But  most 
of  us  have  been  personally  little  acquainted  with  Mr. 
Ewing  as  a  lawyer  at  the  bar,  though  all  of  us  w^ell 
know  his  great  reputation ;  and  that  reputation  speaks 
to  us  in  most  unmistakable  terms  that  Mr.  Ewing  was 
the  leading  lawyer  of  our  State,  if  not  of  the  nation.  It 
was  my  fortune,  when  upon  the  bench  of  the  Common 
Pleas  and  District  Courts  of  this  county,  to  see  and 
know  Mr.  Ewing  as  a  practising  lawyer.  lie  argued 
several  cases  before  me  and  my  associates,  and  I  must  be 
permitted  to  say,  as  extensive  as  I  knew  the  reputation 
of  Mr.  Ewing  to  be,  his  great  and  high  standing  as  a 
lawyer  was  more  than  confirmed  in  my  opinion,  when, 
as  a  Judge  of  the  Court,  I  was  permitted  to  see  and 
know  his  ability  and  learning.  I  remember  well  his 
conduct  of  a  very  important  case  in  the  District  Court. 
He  had  as  colleague  and  adversary  two  of  the  most 

O  v 

prominent  lawyers  of  the  bar  of  Ohio.     In  the  argument 


204  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

of  the  case  before  the  Court,  his  colleague  and  adversary 
consumed  some  six  or  seven  hours  of  time.  Mr.  Ewing, 
taking  the  chief  points  and  principles  of  the  case,  and 
"which  comprehended  all  there  was  of  law  and  fact 
involved  in  the  case,  in  a  terse,  strong,  and  forensically 
eloquent  argument,  consumed  only  about  three-quarters 
of  an  hour  of  the  time  of  the  Court.  I  mention  this  one 
instance  of  the  practice  of  Mr.  Ewing,  because,  as  I  am 
informed,  it  illustrates  all.  Mr.  Ewing,  fully  compre 
hending  and  grasping  the  great  legal  principles  and  the 
sum  of  the  facts  of  the  case,  argued  briefly  and  tersely 
upon  them  alone,  and  let  the  small  niceties  and  legal 
quibbles  and  technicalities  to  those  who  cared  for  them. 
He  confided  in  the  justice  of  his  cause,  founded  upon  the 
real  legal  principles  and  the  facts  involved,  and  hurled 
these  at  the  mind  of  the  Court  with  all  necessary  power 
and  discretion.  When  he  was  afloat  upon  his  case,  he 
pursued  the  wide  and  deep  stream  of  it,  unmindful  of 
the  small  tributaries,  which  he  left  for  others  to  pursue 
as  they  might  think  fit.  It  was  this  extended,  compre 
hensive  power  of  Mr.  Ewing  that  made  him  a  truly 
great  lawyer,  and  gave  him  that  unwonted  success  at  the 
bar.  He  was  indeed  a  natural  lawyer,  and,  because  of 
that,  his  mind  was  eminently  judicial ;  and  often  have  I 
thought  that  it  would  have  been  well  for  his  countrv 

O  «/ 

had  Mr.  Ewing  occupied  the  place  of  Chief-Justice  of 
the  United  States.  He  was  emphatically  fit  for  that 
high  office! 

It  is  not  needful  to  say  more  of  Mr.  Ewing  as  a  jurist, 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAH.  205 

as,  in  what  has  been  said,  we  have  comprehended  his 
real  and  genuine  greatness  as  such;  and  it  would  be 
well  for  us  all,  as  lawyers,  to  keep  in  mind  that  the 
greatness  of  Mr.  Ewing,  as  a  lawyer  was  not  in  his 
learning  and  experience  in  the  cases  or  the  technicalities 
of  the  law,  but  in  the  profound  principles,  reason,  and 
justice  of  the  law.  He  was  a  man  emphatically  of 
justice  in  the  law,  and  to  his  legal  mind  all  else  had 
to  succumb.  During  his  long  career  of  practice  at  the 
bar — much  over  a  half-century — it  never  could  be  said 
of  him: 

"  In  vain  thy  reason  finer  webs  shall  draw, 
Entangle  justice  in  her  net  of  law, 
And  light,  too  rigid,  harden  into  wrong ; 
Still  for  the  strong  too  weak,  the  weak  too  strong." 

It  becomes  now  my  pleasing  duty    to   speak  of  our 
distinguished   brother   as   a   -man    amonsf    his   fellows; 

•— '  O 

and  here  it  is  that  his  character,  ever  above  reproach, 
stands  out  in  bold  relief.  All  who  have  ever  seen 
him  full  well  know  that  he  was  marked  with  a  splen 
did  physical  personality;  and  his  surmounting,  mas 
sive  brow  and  head  showed  most  plainly  the  brains 
within.  His  mental  and  intellectual  strength  were 
very  great ;  and  this  showed  itself,  not  only  in  the 
field  of  politics  and  jurisprudence,  but  in  all  depart 
ments  of  life.  His  mind,  too,  was  garnished  with 
much  useful  information  and  learning  beyond  that 
necessary  in  his  profession  and  public  life;  and  per- 


M 


206  PEOCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

baps  no  man  was,  during  liis  wliole  life,  a  more  dili 
gent  student  than  lie.  His  intellectual  house,  of  much 

O  7 

magnitude,  he  filled  with  every  form  of  use  and 
adornment,  and  managed  it  all  for  the  good  of  his 
fellow-men. 

Gifted  so  in  mentality,  lie  was  by  no  means  want 
ing  in  heart.  On  the  contrary ,  to  those  who  knew 
him  well,  his  heart  was  as  great  as  his  mind;  and  in 
all  his  social  relations  as  husband,  father,  and  friend, 
he  was  loving  and  beloved.  Amono;  his  fellows  he 

~  o 

moved  with  much  dignity,  and  attracted  much  respect; 
and  underlying  that  serious  and  solemn  aspect  of  per 
son  and  carriage  was  the  affection  of  a  brother  and 

O 

a  friend,  which  attached  to  him  with  "hooks  of 
steel "  those  who  knew  him.  well.  He  was  a  man  of 
whom  it  can  be  truly  said  that,  throughout  his  long 
and  useful  course,  he  was  pure,  clear,  and  free  from 
guile,  incorrupt,  and  above  suspicion. 

"  Integer  vitfc,  scelerisque  purus." 

Such  in  this  life  was  our  great  friend ;  and  we  do 
not  lament  that  death  has  stricken  him  down.  He 
has  not  fallen — he  has  arisen.  His  death  was  his 
rebirth  into  another  and  a  better  world.  It  is  the 
divine  law — birth,  growth,  life,  decay,  death,  rebirth- 
all  progress:  and  Mr.  Ewing  has  been  like  all  of  us 
will  be,  but  a  subject  of  the  law.  In  him  the  law 
has  been  fulfilled,  and  he  has  been  born  again. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAI?.  207 

"  For  though  the  soul  of  man 
Be  got  when  he  is  made,  'tis  born  but  then 
"When  man  doth  die;  our  body's  as  the  womb, 
And,  as  a  midwife,  death  directs  it  home." 

Says  the  great  apostle,  "  There  is  a  natural  body, 
and  there  is  a  spiritual  body;  and  when  we  lay  oft' 
the  corruptible  one,  we  take  on  the  incorruptible. 
This  is  the  law." 

Go  for  a  little  while  with  me  to  the  sculptor's 
studio.  We  are  modestly  and  gladly  welcomed,  and 
we  enter.  There,  among  other  objects  of  beauty,  we 
see  a  remarkable  statue,  pointed  out  to  us  by  the 
excellent  artist.  It  is  a  statue  of  perfect  manhood. 
We  look  and  admire: 

"  See  what  a  grace  is  seated  on  this  brow : 
Hyperion's  curls;  the  front  of  Jove  himself; 
An  eye  like  Mars,  to  threaten  and  command ; 
A  station  like  the  herald  Mercury 
New-lighted  on  a  heaven-kissing  hill. 
A  combination  and  a  form,  iudeed, 
Where  every  god  did  seem  to  set  his  seal 
To  give  f-G  world  assurance  of  a  man." 

The  statue,  in  all  its  startling  beauty  is  moulded  in 
clay — the  dust  of  the  earth.  Soon  the  artist  ap 
proaches,  and,  climbing  to  an  eminence  above  the 
statue,  cries  out  to  us,  "  Behold  !  Again  behold  !"  And 
with  drawn  and  uplifted  hammer,  to  our  amazement 
lie  instantly  strikes  the  statue,  and  off,  off  the  yield 
ing,  crumbling  clay  falls  in  appalling  ruins.  But,  lo! 


208  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAR. 

lo !  in  its  place  on  its  pedestal  stands  still  the  statue 
of  manhood,  in  the  same  form,  features,  attitude,  and 
lineaments;  but  now,  oli !  now  resplendent  in  gold— 
in  its  shining,  golden  texture  to  stand  for  ever  !  The 
earthly  clay  was  but  the  coarse  covering  of  the  statue 
of  gold.  We  are  struck  dumb  with  awe !  So  with 
our  eminent  friend.  The  great  Master- Artist  of  the 
universe,  lifting  the  hammer  of  death,  has  but  struck 
off  the  mortal  clav,  and  Thomas  Ewin«r,  in  golden 

tJ    '  O/  O 

immortality,  still  lives. 

"  Ho  lives  in  glory ;   arid  bis  speaking  dust 
Has  more  of  life  than  half  its  breathing  mouths." 


REMARKS    OF    JUDGE    WHITMAN. 

Judge  11.  C.  Whitman  said  he  owed  an  apology  for 
rising  to  address  the  meeting  at  this  late  hour,  and 
in  the  presence  of  many  abler  and  older  members  of 
the  bar,  and  would  have  remained  silent  but  that  he 
desired  to  express,  as  a  comparatively  younger  mem 
ber  of  the  bar,  the  high  honor  and  privilege  he  had 
felt  in  witnessing  the  great  intellectual  efforts  of  Mr. 
Ewing,  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  professional  friendship 
and  the  hospitality  of  his  home.  He  felt  the  debt  of 
gratitude,  and  should  feel  it  all  his  professional  life. 
He  had  heard  in  Washington  the  ablest  members  of 

O 

the  bar,  and  was  familiar  somewhat  with  the  reputation 
of  Mr.  Ewing,  but  was  by  no  means  prepared  for  the 
extraordinary  displays  he  afterwards  witnessed,  filling 


PEOCEEDIXGS    OF    THE    BAK.  209 

him,  not  only  with  astonishment,  but  almost  with  awe. 
He  seemed  to  have  taken  advantage  of  the  remark  of 
Edmund  Burke  in  relation  to  the  science  of  the  law — 
that  while  it  tended  in  the  first  instance  to  make  the 
mind  more  acute,  unless  fortified  by  learning,  it  ended 
in  making  it  narrow ;  for  his  researches,  his  studies, 
were  not  limited  to  the  mere  abstract  science  of  the 
law,  but  he  went  out  into  every  department.  He  was 
a  master  of  Shakespeare,  of  Milton,  thoroughly  con 
versant  with  all  the  English  classics,  familiar,  too,  with 
the  best  writings  of  the  old  Romans.  He  went  tho 
roughly  into  the  domain  of  the  natural  sciences,  and 
as  a  historian,  there  were  perhaps  but  two  men  in 
this  State  who  could  be  called  his  equals — one  was 
the  Hon.  William  Allen,  the  other  the  Eev.  Arch 
bishop  Purcell,  the  distinguishing  peculiarity  in  each 
being  the  extent  of  his  historical  knowledge.  With 
out  wearying  this  honorable  meeting,  he  (Judge  Whit 
man)  desired  simply  to  say,  in  addition  to  recording 
in  this  public  manner  his  humble  tribute  to  the  mem 
ory  of  Mr.  Ewing,  that,  in  his  judgment,  he  was  in 
almost  every  branch  of  the  law  as  great  a  lawyer  as 
this  country  ever  produced;  in  the  power  of  marshal 
ling  complicated  facts  before  a  court  and  jury,  fully 
the  ecjual  of  Webster.  His  life  was  an  example  to 
the  young.  No  man  can  rise  by  genius,  unless  he 
define  genius  by  labor;  and  his  genius  was  untiring 
and  methodical,  never  despising  small  things. 


210  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR. 

REMAKKS    OF    GEORGE    E.    PUGII. 

Mr.  Pugh  said,  though  tlie  meeting  had  been  pro 
longed  beyond  the  ordinary  time  on  such  occasions,  he 
could  not  suffer  the  opportunity  to  pass  without  be 
stowing  his  humble  mite  of  admiration  where  so  emi 
nent  a  gentleman,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  had  passed  from 
among  them.  Mr.  Pugh  then  recounted  several  of  the 
cases  in  which  he  appeared  with  Mr.  Ewing,  and  passed 
a  handsome  eulogy  on  the  abilities  of  the  great  law 
yer  and  statesman.  He  was  a  finished  scholar,  his 
conversation  the  charm  of  all  who  heard  him,  his 
character  an  honor  to  the  profession,  and,  since  the 
death  of  Webster,  the  greatest  lawyer  in  the  United 
States. 

Judge  Warden  and  J.  L.  Miner  followed  in  a  few 
appropriate  remarks. 

Judge  Swing  and  Judge  Este  also  paid  brief  but 
handsome  tributes  to  the  memory  of  the  great  de 
ceased,  after  which  the  resolutions  were  then  put  from 
the  chair  and  adopted. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE    BAR.  211 

[Cincinnati  Commercial.] 

THOMAS   EWIXG. 

Upon  yesterday  the  bar  of  Hamilton  County  con 
vened  for  the  purpose  of  paying  its  tribute  of  respect 
to  the  memory  of  the  great  lawyer,  who  was  uni 
versally  acknowledged  as  the  leader  of  the  profession 
in  the  State  of  Ohio.  It  is  very  rare  that  a  meeting 
of  the  kind  has  produced  such  a  profound  impression 
upon  those  who  attended  it,  and  it  is  also  rare  to  find 
so  much  ability  and  good  taste  united  to  pronounce 
eulogies  at  once  so  high  and  so  just. 

It  is  difficult  for  friendship  to  praise  without  excess 
of  commendation,  and  ifc  is  difficult  to  estimate  the 
ability  of  one  who  has  occupied  position,  and  Avon 
applause  in  discharging  great  and  honorable  duties, 
without  that  natural  tendency  to  exaggeration  which 
may  be  considered,  if  not  a  failing,  at  least  an  in 
cident,  of  human  nature. 

But  the  proceedings  of  the  bar  displayed  a  singular 
excellence.  Eulogy  was  not  too  high  wrought,  and 
the  remarks  of  all  who  spoke  evinced  great  feeling, 
admiration,  and  respect.  They  illustrated  the  fact 
that  the  character  of  the  deceased  had  impressed 
itself  upon  the  hearts  and  minds  of  -those  who 
knew  him  in  a  way  such  as  only  a  great  and  good 
man  could. 


212  PROCEEDINGS    OF   THE   BAR. 


REPORT   OF   THE   PROCEEDINGS 


SUPKEME    COUKT    OF  THE    UNITED    STATES 

On    tlie   announcement   of  tJie   Death    of   tlie 
Hon.    Thomas   Ewing. 

Although  it  is  not  a  usual  matter  for  this  Court  to 

O 

notice  in  its  proceedings  the  death  of  members  of  the 
bar,  the  venerable  years  of  Mr.  Ewing,  his  eminence 
as  a  lawyer,  the  long  term,  ending  only  with  his  life, 
in  which  he  was  constantly  engaged  at  this  bar,  and 
the  reputation  which  he  had  throughout  the  country, 
both  in  professional  and  public  life,  seemed  to  have 
caused  a  departure  from  the  practice  in  his  case. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  born  in  Ohio  County,  Virginia, 
December  28,  1789.  His  father,  who  had  served  in 
the  American  army  during  the  Revolution,  and  had 
become  reduced  in  circumstances,  removed  his  family 
in  1792  to  the  Mu  skin  gum  Hiver,  and  thence  to  a 
place  in  what  has  since  become  Athens  County,  Ohio. 
He  was  here  taught  to  read  by  an  elder  sister,  and 
by  extraordinary  efforts  of  his  own  acquired  a  fair 
elementary  education.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  left 
home,  and  worked  in  the  Kauawha  salt  establish 
ments,  until,  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  he 
had  saved  money  enough  to  enter  the  Ohio  Uni 
versity,  at  Athens.  His  money  being  exhausted,  he 


PEOCEEDIXGS    OF    THE    BAT?.  218 

returned  to  Lis  salt  works,  saved  his  earnings  again, 
then  resumed  his  studies,  and  in  1815  received  the 
first  decree  of  A.B.  ever  granted  ^Y  the  Ohio  Uni- 

O  O  «/ 

versity.  He  studied  law  in  Lancaster,  Oliio,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1816,  and  practised  with  great 
success  in  the  State  courts  and  in  this  Court.  In 
March,  1831,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States  as  a  member  of  the  Whig  party,  and 
became  associated  witli  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Clay 
in  resisting  what  were  deemed  the  encroachments  of 

O 

the  Executive,  and  in  support  of  the  Whig  measures 
generally.  In  March,  1837,  his  term  of  office  having 
expired,  he  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law.  Upon 
the  election  of  President  Harrison,  in  1841,  he  was 
appointed  Secretary  of  the  Treasury — an  office  which 
he  retained  under  Mr.  Tyler  (who,  by  President  Har 
rison's  death,  in  one  month  after  his  inauguration, 
succeeded  to  his  office)  so  long  as  Mr.  Tyler  acted  in 
accordance  with  the  views  of  the  party  by  whose 
electors  he  was  elected.  With  most  of  the  other 
members  of  President  Tyler's  Cabinet,  he  resigned 
office  in  September,  1841.  On  the  election  of  Presi 
dent  Taylor,  in  1849,  he  was  appointed  Secretary  of 
the  then  recently  created  Department  of  the  Interior, 
which  was  still  unorganized.  On  the  death  of  that 
President,  July  9,  1850,  and  the  accession  of  Mr. 
Fillmore,  a  division  in  the  Whig  party  caused  a 
change  in  the  cabinet.  Mr.  Corwin  became  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury,  and  Mr.  Ewing  was  appointed  by  the 


214  PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    EAR. 

Governor  of  Ohio  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Mi1. 
Corwin  in  the  Senate.  In  1851,  he  retired  from 
public  life — in  which  he  was  engaged,  taking  it  all 
together,  for  about  nine  years — and  resumed  the 

o  •/ 

practice  of  the  law.  However,  in  1SG1,  when  the 
Rebellion  was  imminent,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
assemblage  known  as  the  Peace  Conference.  This  Con- 

o 

ference  was  invited  by  the  State  of  Virginia.  The 
members  of  Ohio  were  appointed  by  the  Governor  of 
that  State.  The  Conference  sat  twenty-three  days, 
but  conciliations  were  impossible.  The  South  was 
determined  on  rebellion,  and  the  war  came. 

Mr.  Ewiug  died  on  the  2Gth  of  October,  1S71,  at  his 
residence  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  in  the  eighty-second  year 
of  his  ao-e.  His  abilities  were  known  to  those  of  the 

O 

departed  or  departing  generation  perhaps  more  than  to 
those  of  the  present  one,  although  he  continued  to  prac 
tise  in  this  court  until  within  a  short  time ;  the  last  case 
which  he  arsmed  having  been,  I  think,  Masmire  vs. 

O  O  '  i  O 

Tyler,  at  December  Term,  1869,  which,  on   account  tof- 
his  venerable  years  and  imperfect  strength,  he  was  gra 
ciously  requested  by  the  Court  to  argue  sitting.    Among 
the  most  elaborate  of  his  written  professional  arguments 
are  those  in  the  case  of  Oliver  vs.  Pratt  et  al..  involving 

O 

the  title  of  a  large  part  of  Toledo,  Ohio  ;  the  case  of  the 
Methodist  Church  division ;  the  Mclntire  Poor-school  vs. 
Zauesville;  and  the  McMicken  Will  case,  involving  larsre 

'  '  O  O 

bequests  for  education 

On  the  28th  of  October,  after  the  intelligence  ot  his 


rROCEEDIXG3    OF    THE    BAR.  215 

<leatli  reached  Washington,  a  meeting  of  the  bar  of  this 

o          '  o 

Court  was  held,  when,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Carlisle,  the 
Hon.  B.  II.  Bristow,  Solicitor-General,  was  called  to  the 
chair,  and  Mr.  D.  W.  Middleton  appointed  Secretary. 
The  resolutions  set  out  below  (which  were  drawn  up 
and  offered  by  Hon.  T.  W.  Bartley,  of  Ohio)  were 
unanimously  passed.  On  the  opening  of  the  Court  on 
Mondav,  the  30th,  Mr.  Attorney-General  Akerman,  in 
appropriate  terms,  announced  the  melancholy  event 
which  had  led  to  them,  and  laid  them  before  the  Court, 
as  follows : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  members  of  the  bnr  of  the  Su 
preme  Court  of  the  United  States  have  received  with 
profound  sensibility  the  announcement  of  the  death  of 
the  late  Thomas  Ewing,  of  Ohio,  long  and  eminently 
distinguished  as  a  jurist  and  statesman. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  hold  in  high  estimation  the  mem 
ory  of  the  deceased  as  one  of  the  great  men  of  the  coun 
try,  illustrious  for  public  services  in  the  councils  of  the 
nation,  and   eminenea  and  ability  in   the  profession   of 
the  law. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Attorney-General  of  the  United 
States  be  requested  to  communicate  these  resolutions  to 
the  Court,  with  the  request  that  they  may  be  entered  on 
the  record ;  and,  farther,  that  they  be  communicated  to 
the  family  of  the  deceased,  with  the  expression  of  the 
sympathies  of  the  meeting.1' 

The  Chief-Justice  made  the  following  reply  : 

"  The  Court   share  with  the   bar  the  sentiments   ex- 


216  PEOCEEDINGS    OF    THE    BAE. 

pressed  by  their  resolutions,  which  will  be  entered  upon 
the  records,  in  accordance  with  their  request. 

"  We  all  feel  that  whatever  honors  can  be  paid  to  the 
memory  of  Mr.  Ewing  are  properly  paid. 

u  His  is  the  record  of  a  youth  patient  of  toil  and  full 
of  aspiration ;  of  a  manhood  worthily  employed  in  vari 
ous  and  honorable  public  trusts,  and  in  forensic  labors, 
which  gave  as  frequent  occasion  to  note  the  remarkable 
grasp  and  vigor  of  his  intellect,  and  the  great  variety 
and  extent  of  his  attainments;  of  a  protracted  and  serene 
old  age ;  and  of  a  calm  and  peaceful  death,  surrounded  by 
children  worthy  of  their  father. 

"  To  family  and  friends,  the  death  of  a  relative  and 
friend  so  honored  and  beloved,  however  long  deferred, 
comes  always  too  soon.  Counting  ourselves  as  not  the 

v  O 

least  affectionate  among  the  friends  of  Mr.  Ewing,  we 
yet  find,  and  doubt  not  that  all  near  to  him  in  friendship 
or  relationship  will  ever  find,  consolation  in  reflecting 
upon  the  brightness  of  ths  example  he  has  left  for  the 
imitation  of  his  countrymen."  (12  Wallace,) 


MEETING    OF    THE    BAE  AT  ATHENS,  OHIO. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  bar  of  Athens,  held  on  the  10th 
day  of  June,  A.D.  1872,  the  following  proceedings  were 
had  upon  the  death  of  Thomas  Ewing : 

The  committee  heretofore  appointed,  composed  of 
Hon.  A.  G.  Brown,  Colonel  E.  E.  Constable,  and  Hon. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE   BAIJ.  217 

\V.  K.  Golden,  reported  the  following  resolutions,  wliicli 
were  unanimously  adopted : 

"  1st.  Resolved,  That  the  Bar  of  Athens  County,  in 
common  with  others,  regard  the  death  of  Hon.  Thomas 
Ewing  as  a  great  public  loss,  and  will  cherish  his  mem 
ory  with  highest  veneration. 

"  2d.  Resolved,  That  his  exalted  character  and  attain 
ments  and  his  distinguished  career  afford  an  eminent 

o 

and  worthy  example  for  aspiring  youth  and  for  the 
admiration  of  all. 

"  3d.  lie-solved,  That  inasmuch  as  it  was  in  this  county 
that  his  early  days  were  spent  and  his  education 
acquired,  and  his  opening  legal  talents  were  for  a  series 
of  years  displayed  and  appreciated,  the  bar  and  people 
of  Athens  County  claim  a  peculiar  interest  in  his  fame, 
and  cannot  permit  the  opportunity  to  pass  without  the 
offering  of  one  more  to  the  many  tributes  paid  through 
out  the  land  to  his  exalted  worth. 

"  4th.  Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  requested  to 
be  spread  upon  the  minutes  of  the  Court,  and  that  a 
copy  thereof  be  forwarded  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Ewing, 
at  Lancaster." 

Upon  the  assembling  of  Court,  on  the'  morning  of 
June  10,  A.D.  1872,  the  Court,  on  motion,  directed  the 
proceedings  of  the  bar  of  Athens,  upon  the  death  of 
Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  to  be  spread  upon  the  records  of 
this  Court. 


218  PROCEEDINGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    THE    FACULTY    OF    THE 
OHIO  UNIVERSITY. 

Whereas,  It  has  pleased  .Almighty  God  to  remove 
from  earth  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  the  first  graduate 
of  this  institution,  and  one  who  was  greatly  distinguished 
both  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  statesman ;  therefore,  be  it 

1st.  Resolved,  By  the  Faculty  of  the  Ohio  University, 
that,  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Ewing,  we  are  made  sharers  in 
a  common  loss;  for  his  early  connection  with  this  insti 
tution,  first  as  a  student  and  afterwards  as  a  trustee,  has 
given  her  a  special  interest  in  his  fame.  We  have 
observed  his  eminent  career  with  grateful  pride,  and 
have  felt  that  his  elevation  of  character,  his  purity  of 
life,  his  sagacity  as  a  statesman,  and  his  power  as  an 
orator,  were  an  ornament  and  an  honor  to  his  Alma 
Mater. 

2d.  Resolved,  That  we  commend  his  noble  example 
of  energy  and  aspiration  for  the  imitation  of  those  who 
now  succeed  him  as  students  in  the  University. 

3d.  Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  spread  upon 
the  records  of  the  Faculty,  and  that  a  copy  be  trans 
mitted  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Ewiug. 

A.  S.  GIBBONS,  Acting  Prcdt. 

W.  II.  G.  ADNEY,  Secretary. 

Omo  UNIVERSITY,  ATHENS,  O.,  June  15,  1872. 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES.  219 

MEETING     OF     THE    ATHENIAN    LITERARY 
SOCIETY   OF  THE   OHIO   UNIVERSITY. 

Hon.  Thomas  Ewing  departed  this  life  a  few  days 
since  in  Lancaster,  Ohio.  He  graduated  in  1815,  receiving 
the  first  decree  given  by  the  Ohio  University — that  of 

O  O  */ 

A.B. — when  few  students  and  fewer  universities  claimed 
a  place  in  the  new  AYest. 

Of  his  college  career  we  know  but  little ;  yet  we 
know  of  a  truth  that  his  difficulties  were  many,  his  con 
flicts  were  fierce;  and  if  his  life  was  a  success,  he  merits 
the  credit. 

But    Thomas   Ewing's   work   is   ended.      His   fittest 

O 

monument  is  the  institutions  of  our  country,  which  he 
strove  to  perpetuate,  and  the  inscription  thereon : 


LIBERTAS    KT    XATALE    SOLUM." 


At  a  recent  session  of  the  Athenian  Literary  Society 
of  the  Ohio  University  the  following  resolutions  were 

*•  O 

adopted  : 

"  Whereas,  This  Society  has  heard  with  deep  sorrow 
the  announcement  of  the  death  of  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing, 
one  of  its  most  venerable  members;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  in  his  death  we  lose  an  honored 
member,  and  the  nation  sustains  an  irreparable  loss. 

"  Resolved,  That  as  a  testimony  of  respect  for  his 
memory,  we  drape  our  hall  in  mourning  for  thirty  days. 

"Resolved,  That    these  resolutions    be    published    in 


220  PBOCEEDIKGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

tbe  Athens  and  Lancaster  papers,  and  that  a  copy  be 
sent  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

*'  A.    B.    RlCHAEDSOJN", 

E.  M.  JACKSON, 
D.  C.  CASTO, 

"  Committee. 
"October  30,  1871." 


MEETING    OF    THE    ALUMNI    OF    THE   OHIO 
UNIVERSITY. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  alumni  of  the  Ohio  University, 
which  was  held  in  Athens,  June  18,  1872,  the  following 
action  was  had  : 

Hon.  Ben.  Smith,  from  the  Committee  on  the  death 
of  Hon.  T.  Ewing,  reported  as  follows : 

"  Thomas  Ewing,  the  first  and  probably  the  most 
distinguished  graduate  of  the  Ohio  University,  having 
departed  this  life  since  the  last  meeting  of  the  alumni  of 
the  institution,  it  is  believed  to  be  eminently  fit  and 
proper  that  we  should  at  our  first  meeting  succeeding  his 
death  express  our  estimation  of  his  character,  and  spread 
our  opinions  on  the  record  of  the  alumni ;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  1st,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  the  alumni  of 
the  Ohio  University,  he  stood  among  the  foremost  of  our 
country  in  general  literature  and  in  the  varied  depart 
ments  of  learning. 

"  2d,  His  mental  faculties  were  calm,  reflective,  and 
admirably  balanced,  and  well  guarded  against  hasty 


PEOCEEDINGS    OF   VARIOUS    SOCIETIES.  221 

extremes  on  all  subjects.  His  judgment  was  clear,  and 
Lis  conclusions  almost  faultless.  All  questions  of  impor 
tance  were  examined  by  him  with  calm  consideration, 
and,  when  decided  by  him,  were  never  yielded  to  popular 
influence  or  personal  or  political  considerations. 

"  3d,  He  never  was  a  favorite  of  professional  poli 
ticians,  because  his  stern  integrity  and  unselfish  patri 
otism  repelled  the  approach  of  all  fraud,  insincerity,  and 
duplicity.  His  great  ability,  his  indomitable  energy, 
and  honest  patriotism,  in  despite  of  politicians,  extorted 
from  his  country  the  eminent  position  he  occupied  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation. 

"  4th,  It  is  with  pleasure  and  honest  pride  that  we 
assert  with  truth  and  in  all  sincerity  of  heart  that  our 
friend  and  brother,  after  a  long  life  of  usefulness,  has  left 
us  a  reputation  of  pure  moral  excellence,  without  a  blot 
or  a  single  blemish." 

O 


THE  PIONEERS  OF  ATHENS   COUNTY. 

[The  following  valued  account  of  my  father's  associa 
tion  with  the  pioneers  of  Athens  County  was  kindly 
furnished  me  by  his  long-cherished  friend,  Hon.  A.  B. 
Walker,  himself  a  pioneer. — E.  E.  S.] 

As  showing  the  interest  Mr.  Ewing  felt  in  affairs  in 
Athens,  and  in  matters  relating  to  her  older  citizens, 

*  O 

with  whom  he  was  intimately  acquainted  in  his  earlier 
years,  we  present  from  the  record  of  the  Pioneer  Associa- 

28 


222  PROCEEDINGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

tion  the  following  letter  from  him,  under  date  of  Lancas 
ter,  July  21,  1869  : 

"DEAR  SIR:  I  have  yours  of  the  15th  instant.  You 
may  add  my  name  to  the  Association,  but  there  is  little 
prospect  of  my  being  able  to  attend  any  of  its  meetings. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully, 

"  T.  EWING. 
"  A.  B.  WALKER,  Esq.,  Secretary" 

At  a  meeting  held  in  Athens,  July  24,  1869,  we  find 
this  minute : 

"  The  meeting  directed  the  name  of  T.  Ewing  to  be 
added  to  the  list  of  members  of  the  Association  as  a  cor 
responding  member." 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  name  of  Bishop  Ames  was 
added  to  its  members,  besides  a  large  number  of  the 
older  citizens  of  Athens  County.  At  this  meeting  Hon. 
Isaac  Barker  presided ;  he  was  then  in  his  90th  year. 
_  On  the  4th  of  July,  1871,  the  Association  met  at 
Amesville,  at  which  place  Mr.  Ewing  was  expected  to 
be  present  and  deliver  an  address.  His  health  was  such 
as  to  prevent  attendance,  but  he  wrote  and  sent  with  his 
son,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr.,  a  most  excellent  letter, 
which  was  read  by  Gen.  C.  H.  Grosvenor  to,  and  warmly 
received  by,  the  Association.  The  letter  is  copied  and 
sent  with  this  communication.  By  a  vote  of  the  mem 
bers,  it  was  ordered  to  be  copied  in  full  upon  the  minutes 
of  the  Association : 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES.  223 

"  The  following  letter  from  Hon.  Thomas  Ewincr,  Lan- 

O  O' 

caster,  was  read  to  the  meeting  by  Gen.  C.  H.  Grosvenor, 
of  the  Executive  Committee,  which,  from  its  importance, 
is  copied  at  length  into  these  minutes  : 

"LANCASTER,  July  3,  1871. 

"  GENTLEMEN  :  I  find  it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to 
attend  the  Amesville  Pioneer  celebration  on  the  4th. 
Though  my  health  is  tolerable,  I  cannot  endure  even  a 
small  amount  of  fatigue,  and,  on  consulting  my  physician, 
he  advises  me  not  to  venture. 

"  I  would  be  very  glad  to  meet  you  all,  the  living 
friends  and  associates  of  my  boyhood  and  early  youth, 
and  the  descendants  of  those  that  are  gone ;  but,  as  I 
cannot,  I  send  my  third  son,  Gen.  Thomas  Ewing,  Jr., 
whom  I  trust  you  will  find  a  creditable  representative  of 
the  first  pioneer. 

"  I  visited  Amesville  a  few  weeks  since,  after  an  ab 
sence  of  fifty-five  years,  and  found  my  memory  fresh  as 
to  places  and  persons.  The  streams  appeared  small,  and 
the  valleys  narrow,  but  rich  and  beautiful  as  when  I 
last  knew  them.  To  me,  while  I  lived  in  it,  and  until  I 
left  it,  it  was  a  happy  valley ;  there  was  little  material 
wealth  in  it,  but  it  verified  the  assertion  of  the  poet,  that 

a  people, 

"  '  Though  very  poor,  may  still  be  very  blest/ 

and  there  can  grow  up  no  inordinate  wealth  here  to 
disturb  the  quiet  tenor  of  life.  While  it  is  abundantly 
prosperous,  its  tranquillity  is  not  in  danger  of  being  de- 


224  PROCEEDINGS    OF    VAEIOTJ3    SOCIETIES. 

stroyed  by  those  terrible  commotions  which  distract  the 
greater  world. 

"  Mr.  Walker's  history  of  Athens  County  marks  well 
the  calm  and  steady  progress  of  this  happy  valley  in 
population  and  iu  mental  culture,  much  of  wliich  is  due 
to  our  early  Library  Association  ;  and  I  am  strongly 
impressed  with  the  opinion  that  it  is  entitled  to  one 
year's  earlier  date  than  his  record  gives  it. 

"In  the  spring  of  1803,  my  father  removed  his  family 
to  a  small  farm  seven  miles  southeast  on  the  Marietta 
road.  In  this  I  am  not  mistaken,  as  I  made  record  of 
the  date  on  the  bark  of  a  beech-tree,  which  I  have  seen 
often  since.  I  remained  on  the  Amestown  farm,  to  go 
to  school  and  help  my  brother  take  care  of  the  stock. 
Judge  Walker  came  in  November  of  that  year,  and  occu 
pied  the  principal  cabin,  and  such  of  our  family  as 
remained  a  smaller  one  the  other  side  of  the  little  run. 
I  was  reading  a  library-book — The  Children  of  the 
Alley — and  had  got  together  a  good  supply  of  hick 
ory  bark  to  make  me  a  light,  and  I  rose  an  hour  or  two 
before  day,  and  sat  on  a  stool  by  the  fire  reading.  Henry 
Bartlett,  Esq.,  who  happened  with  us  that  night,  came 
and  sat  also,  and  asked  to  look  at  my  book.  I  handed 
it  to  him,  and,  as  he  returned  it,  it  fell  open  on  the  fire, 
and  scorched  and  spotted  several  of  the  leaves.  By  the 
rules  of  the  library,  there  was  a  fine  for  every  spot,  and, 
in  counting  over  the  injury  in  fips  and  levies,  I  found 
myself  a  bankrupt  boy.  However,  I  took  the  book  to 
the  next  library  meeting,  explained  the  misfortune,  and 


PEOCEEDINGS    OF   VAEIOUS    SOCIETIES.  225 

the  Board  very  kindly  remitted  the  fines.  If  the  volume 
(I  think  it  was  the  second)  be  still  in  being,  it  must 
bear  the  marks  of  the  adventure. 

u  This  antedates  Mr.  Walker's  record  several  months. 
I  think  the  money  was  raised,  and  the  books  bought  and 
on  hand,  before  that  record  was  made  out,  and  that  it  is 
but  an  official  recognition  of  a  past  fact.  As  to  Morses 
Geography,  I  studied  it  as  early  as  1800;  but  it  was 
no  doubt  a  book  on  hand,  afterwards  turned  in  by  Mr. 
Cutler  and  my  father  as  part  of  their  contribution  to 
the  library. 

"I  remember  a  rural  scene  of  the  summer  of  1800, 
simple  and  childish,  but  illustrative  of  a  fact  in  history. 
Mrs.  Brown  had  a  handsome  little  tomato-plant  of  the 
small,  round  kind,  which  was  then  called  love-apple.  It 
was  not  known  among  us  as  an  article  of  food  until 
several  years  after  the  French  inhabitants  of  St.  Do 
mingo  had  been  driven  from  the  island  and  took  refuse 

*— *  *~j 

on  our  shores,  and  then  its  use  extended  slowly.  On 
the  day  named,  children  of  the  two  families  were  at  play 
in  Mrs.  Brown's  garden,  when  suddenly  the  alarm  was 
raised,  and  ran  through  the  little  group,  that  Apphia 
Brown  had  eaten  a  love-apple.  We  sped  with  the  fearful 
intelligence  to  the  grown-up  people,  who  did  not  partake 
of  our  alarm,  and  it  passed  off  without  a  catastrophe. 
It  was  many  years  later  when  I  first  saw  the  tomato 
used  on  our  tables  as  an  esculent. 

"  For  many  years,  we  had  no  post-office  nearer  than 
Athens ;  but  my  father's  little  farm,  on  the  Marietta 


226  PROCEEDINGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

road,  was  passed  once  a  week  by  a  mail  carried  on  horse 
back  between  Clarksburg.  Virginia,  and  Chillicothe — 

O'  O  / 

one  week  east,  the  next  week  west.  I  always  took 
care  to  be  on  hand  when  the  mail  passed.  It  was  car 
ried  by  a  boy  of  sixteen  or  seventeen — John  Davis — who 
became  my  intimate  friend ;  and  I  fed  his  horse,  and 
mother  gave  him  supper  and  a  bed  with  me  by  the  fire, 
as  a  reward  for  the  news  he  brought  us.  I  have  often 

O 

sat  up  till  ten  o'clock  listening  for  his  horn  ;  he  was  very 
punctual  with  his  satchel  of 

11 '  News  from  all  nations,  lumbering  at  his  back.' " 
I  am  indulging  in  trifles,  but, 

"  'These  little  things  are  great  to  little  man/ 

and  I  write  as  I  would  talk  with  you  if  present.  I 
wish  all  our  assembled  friends  many  happy  returns  of 
this  glorious  day. 

"  I  am,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

"T.  EWIXG. 
"  C.  H.  GEOSVENOE, 

L.  BROWN, 
D.  B.  STEWART, 
THOMAS  F.  WILDES, 
GEOEGE  PUTNAM, 

"Committee" 

The  following  telegram  was  received  on  the  day   of 
its  date,  and  is  filed : 


PROCEEDINGS    OF    VARIOUS    SOCIETIES.  227 

"LANCASTER,  O.,  October  26,  1871. 
"  To  A.  B.  WALKER  : 

"Thomas  Ewing  died  this  P.M.  Funeral  Saturday, 
eleven  o'clock. 

"  H.  H.  HUNTER." 

The  Secretary  of  the  Association  has  very  thought 
fully  and  wisely  collected  in  a  scrap-book  articles  from 
all  the  leading  papers  of  the  Hocking  Valley  and  the 
State,  and  the  press  in  various  parts  of  the  country, 
upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Ewing.  These  extracts  are  pre 
faced  as  follows :  ' 

"Hon.  Thomas  E\vino;  died  at  his  residence  in  Lan- 

O 

caster,  O.,  October  26,  1871,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of 
his  age. 

"Mr.  Ewing  was  a  man  of  national  celebrity,  and 
justly  honored  in  life  by  the  first  in  this  country.  He 
was  *  Ohio's  greatest  and  noblest  son.'  The  deceased 

O 

was  a  member  of  the  Athens  County  Pioneer  Associa 
tion,  by  whom  his  memory  is  now  cherished." 

At  a   meetincr   of  the  Association,  held   in   Athens, 

O  ' 

April  6,  1872,  announcements  were  made  of  the  death 
of  both  Messrs.  Ewing  and  Hunter. 

Remarks  were  made  upon  these  announcements  by 
Hon.  John  Welch,  Hon.  A.  G.  Brown,  and  others. 

In  speaking  of  Mr.  Ewing,  Judge  Welch  dwelt  at 
length  upon  the  purity  of  his  private  character,  which 
he  pronounced  "without  spot  or  blemish."  He  spoke 
also  of  his  mind,  patriotic  intentions,  and  great  expe- 


228  PROCEEDINGS    OF   VARIOUS    SOCIETIES. 

rience  and  usefulness  in  public  life ;  of  the  example  for 
emulation  his  life  affords,  and  the  instruction  to  youth 
with  which  it  was  filled ;  of  his  profound  knowledge  of 
the  law  and  his  great  power  as  an  advocate ;  and,  as  the 
Secretary  has  well  expressed  in  his  minutes  of  Judge 
Welch's  remarks,  "  the  picture  given  his  auditors  of  the 
beauty  and  grandeur  of  this  great  and  excellent  man  in 
all  the  social  and  domestic  relations  of  his  life  was  in  the 
highest  decree  interesting," 

o  o  o 

Judge  Brown  also  spoke  of  Mr.  EwTing,  endorsing  fully 
what  had  been  so  well  said  by  Judge  Welch,  from  a  life 
long  acquaintance  w-ith  the  distinguished  statesman. 

The  above  is  respectfully  submitted  by  the  Execu 
tive  Committee  of  the  Athens  County  Pioneer  Associa 
tion  to  the  friends  of  the  late  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  as  a 

O/ 

slight  mark  of  the  esteem  in  wrhich  he  was  held  by  our 
people,  as  feebly  indicating  the  sorrow  felt  by  us  at  his 
decease,  and  as  a  token  to  them  that,  though  dead,  he  is 

/  /  O  / 

not  forgotten  by  those  who  knew  him  through  all  the 
years  of  his  eventful  and  useful  life. 

THOS.  F.  WILDES, 
CIIAS.  H.  GROSVENOR, 
LEONARD  BROWN, 
D.  B.  STEWART, 
GEORGE  PUTNAM, 

Executive  Committee. 
ATHENS,  June  17,  1872. 


REMINISCENCES  FROM  PAPERS. 


THOMAS  EWING. 

THOMAS  EWIXG  is  dead.  The  last  of  that  galaxy  of 
great  men,  who  in  the  Augustan  age  of  the  American 
Senate  so  charmed  and  delio-hted  the  civilized  world, 

O 

lias  departed.  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Crittenden, 
Benton,  and  Esving  are  all  gone  to  their  final  rest. 

Cold  and  dull  indeed  must  be  the  heart  which  ani 
mates  an  American  bosom  that  will  not  be  stirred 
with  emotion  at  this  announcement.  The  name  of 
Ewing  is  associated  intimately  with  those  of  Webster, 
Clay,  and  Crittenden;  he  was  the  peer  of  the  tAvo 
latter,  and  the  compeer  of  all  of  them. 

In  intellectual  scope,  power  of  analysis  and  of  com 
bining  thoughts,  exactitude  of  statement  and  in  con- 

Z3  O  ' 

centrated  imagination,  Mr.  Webster  had  no  equal;  but 
in  all  of  these  qualities  Mr.  Ewiug  stood  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  second  line.  In  penetrating  the  motives, 
quickening  the  impulses,  and  moving  the  hearts  of 
men,  Clay  surpassed  Ewing  as  Crittenden  did  in  the 
dexterous  use  of  the  weapon  at  Ms  command ;  but  if 
Ewing's  scinieter  was  not  as  sharp  as  Clay?s,  and  if  he 
did  not  wield  it  with  the  aptitude  of  Crittenden,  his 
arm  was  stronger,  and  his  weapon  heavier,  than  that 
of  either  of  them. 


230  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

Webster  once  said  of  Ewing  that  lie  was  tlie  best- 
informed  man  lie  ever  met — that  he  never  conversed 
with  him  five  minutes  but  that  he  was  wiser  for  hav 
ing  done  so.  Ewing  was  a  man  of  large  physical 
frame,  and  of  great  physical  power,  and  his  intellectual 
strength  was  commensurate  with  his  physical  force. 
He  was  modest  in  his  demeanor,  patient  in  investi 
gation,  clear,  able,  and  convincing  in  argument,  and 
decided  in  his  judgment.  He  seemed  to  those  who 
knew  him  to  be  so  open  that  there  was  in  him  no 
purpose  that  was  concealed,  and  as  if  there  was 
none  to  conceal ;  for  to  human  observation  he  had 
no  vices. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  was  industrious,  learned,  judicious, 
and  careful.  His  practice  was  extensive  and  diver 
sified.  The  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  are  enriched  by  his  arguments,  and  he 
has  long  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost  men 
who  practised  before  that  tribunal,  and  as  the  leader 
of  the  bar  "  west  of  the  mountains." 

Mr.  Ewing  was  born  in  Virginia,  December  28, 
1789.  He  received  his  early  education  chiefly  from  an 
elder  sister. 

Mr.  Ewiug  grew"  up  with  his  State.  In  his  lifetime, 
Ohio,  from  a  wilderness  peopled  only  by  Indians,  has 
grown  upon  the  sisterhood  of  States,  and  now  takes 
rank  but  a  little  behind  the  most  populous  and  flou 
rishing  States  of  the  Union.  How  much  Mr.  Ewing's 
energy,  his  example,  his  moral  worth,  and  his  great 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPER?.  231 

intelligence    have    contributed    to    this  result    we    can 
never  know. 

Though  his  usefulness  has  been  extended  beyond 
the  period  which  has  been  ordinarily  allotted  to  man, 
and  he  has  been  gathered  at  a  ripe  age,  and  when  his 
work  was  done,  his  death  will  be  felt  as  a  personal 
loss,  and  he  will  be  mourned  in  thousands  of  Amer 
ican  homes.  S. 


[Ohio  State  Journal.] 

REMINISCENCE  OF  IIOX.   THOMAS  EWING. 

In  the  allusions  made  to  the  religious  opinions  of  Mr. 
Ewing  at  the  Cincinnati  bar  meeting,  some  doubt  seemed 
to  be  indicated  as  to  what  those  opinions  were.  Since 
reading  the  proceedings  of  that  meeting,  I  have  hunted 
up  Mr.  E wing's  argument  in  the  great  Methodist  Church 
case  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  which 
I  find  the  following  passages,  which  seem  to  me  so 
pertinent  and  important  in  their  bearing  upon  the 
matter  above  suggested  that  I  venture  to  send  them 

OO 

for  publication  in  the  State  Journal  : 

"But  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  in  conclusion  that 
I  deeply  deplore  the  controversy  between  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  South  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  more  especially  the  separation  which  is 
partly  its  cause  and  partly  its  consequence.  There  is 
a  faith  essentially  of  union  and  love,  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  in  its  union  and  by  the  united  efforts 


232  REMINISCENCES    FEOM    PAPERS. 

of  its  devoted  and  self-sacrificing  sons,  lias  done  great 
and  lasting  good  throughout  our  land,  especially  among 
the  masses,  who  have  felt  most  and  profited  most  by  its 
influence. 

"The  Christian  religion  is  emphatically  the  philosophy 
of  the  unlettered  man.  It  teaches  him,  by  the  direct 
speakings  of  revelation,  what  philosophy  in  all  ages 
has  sought  to  discover  and  comprehend — the  duty  of 
man  to  God,  to  himself,  to  his  fellow-man ;  the  mystery 
of  his  origin,  his  being  and  condition  here,  and  the 
deeper  and  darker  mystery  of  his  final  destiny.  The 
learned,  in  the  pride  of  intellect,  have  not  all  and  at 
all  times  been  satisfied  with  the  teachings  of  revelation, 
but  have  endeavored  to  advance,  by  force  of  their  own 
reasons,  to  conclusions  on  all  the  subjects  on  which  it 
has  pronounced ;  and,  failing  in  this,  have  ended  by 
a  denial  of  revelation,  and  often  by  disbelief  or 
doubt  of  all  things,  even  of  their  own  being,,  because 
they  could  not  comprehend  or  explain  them.  The  past 
century,  in  which  Methodism  arose,  witnessed  their 
mightiest  effort  and  its  most  terrible  results. 

O 

"It  was  not  the  mission  of  John  Wesley  to  reason 
down  by  force  of  logic  the  systems  of  false  philosophy 
which  had  usurped  possession  of  the  human  intellect, 
and  let  loose  from  the  restraints  of  conscience  the  wild 
and  ferocious  passions  of  men,  but  to  explore  the  depths 
of  man's  religious  nature,  and  awaken  and  disclose  to 
him  the  perceptions  and  convictions  of  religious  truths, 
known  to  his  consciousness,  which  the  understanding; 

'  O 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  283 

cannot  fathom  or  reason  explain.  This  was  liis  dis 
tinctive  philosophy,  exercised  and  enforced  by  the  ever- 
present  but  sometimes  slumbering  consciousness,  which 
he  sounded  the  tocsin  to  awake.  Thus  armed  with  the 
gospels  of  life  and  truth,  attended  by  this  ever-present 
witness,  he  went  abroad,  and  he  sent  his  sons  and 
followers  abroad,  to  preach  repentance,  and  faith,  and 
holiness  throughout  the  laud ;  and  faithfully  and  well 
has  their  mission  thus  far  been  fulfilled. 

"  I  have  from  my  earliest  remembrance  been  familiar 
with  the  onward  movement  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  which  always  kept  pace  with  the  advancing 
population  of  our  Western  wilds ;  and  I  have  noted 
well  its  social,  moral,  and  civilizing  influence,  not  only 
on  those  brought  within  its  pale,  but  beyond  them 
in  the  communities  in  which  it  took  root.  But  all  that 
we  have  witnessed  of  its  achievements  was  done  in 
union  and  by  united  efforts.  Will  it  still  go  on  after 
secession  and  severance,  unchecked,  to  the  consummation 
of  its  mighty  mission  I  We  know  not — God  knoweth." 

It  will  be  observed  that  this  eloquent  statement  of 
the  nature  and  influence  of  the  Christian  religion  cannot, 

O  f 

consistently  with  the  well-known  character  of  Mr.  Ewing 
for  candor,  be  explained  away  by  attributing  it  to  the 
zeal  of  the  advocate  in  the  discharge  of  professional 
duty.  We  have  here  the  direct  affirmation  that  the 

Christian   religion   teaches    man — even    the    unlettered 

~ 

man — "by  the  direct  speaking  of  revelation,  what  phi 
losophy  in  all  ages  has  sought  to  discover  and  com- 


234  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

preliend — the  duty  of  man  to  God,  to  himself,  to  his 
fellow-man ;  the  mystery  of  his  origin,  his  being  and 
condition  here,  and  the  deeper  and  darker  mystery  of 
his  final  destiny  " ;  and  that  the  opposers  of  this  religion 
were  the  advocates  of  "  systems  of  false  philosophy, 
which  had  usurped  possession  of  the  hnnian  intellect, 
and  let  loose  from  the  restraints  of  conscience  the  wild 
and  ferocious  passions  of  man."  And  it  is  further 
affirmed  that  Wesley  and  his  followers  "  were  armed 
with  the  gospels  of  life  and  truth,"  to  preach  repentance, 
and  faith,  and  holiness  throughout  the  land. 

/  O 

I  remember  very  well  how  my  heart  was  moved  by 
the  eloquence  and  power  of  this  statement  when  I  first 
read  it,  and  that  I  ventured  to  say  to  the  great  and  good 
man  who  uttered  these  precious  words  that,  if  they 
correctly  stated  his  convictions,  I  hoped  he  would  not 
delay  the  duty  of  a  more  formal  profession  -until,  like  the 
great  Webster,  he  should  on  his  death-bed  regret  that 
he  had  not  said  and  written  more  on  these  subjects. 
His  answer  was,  "  Well.  I  do  believe  all  I  then  said  in 
regard  to  the  Christian  religion."  T.  C.  J. 

O  O 


HON.  THOMAS  EWING. 

EXTRACTS       FROM       M  Y       SCRAP-BOOK. 

To  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  LEADER  : 

The  first  time  I  saw  Mr.  Ewing,  Sr.,  was  when  I 
a  boy  of  nineteen  years  of  age. 

He  was  then  in  the  meridian  of  his  manhood,  in  active 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  235 

practice  in  all  the  higher  courts,  both  State  and  national, 
and,  as  a  lawyer,  stood  confessedly  as  the  acknowledged 
head  of  the  bar  in  Ohio.  He  was  in  the  full  vigor  of  his 
powers,  and  his  splendid  physical  frame  was  surmounted 
by  a  massive,  noble  head,  indicating  abilities  of  an  extra 
ordinary  character.  At  this  time,  the  little  old  brick 
court-house,  where  the  Supreme  Court  held  its  sessions, 
was  in  the  State-house  yard  at  Columbus ;  and  I  well 
remember,  as  Mr.  Ewins:  walked  through  the  narrow 

/  O  O 

ball  and  up  the  wretched,  creaking  staircase,  he  seemed 
to  dwarf  the  din^y  building,  and  make  it  look  still 

o»/  O/ 

smaller  and  more  wretched  than  ever.  "When  he  rose  to 
speak,  every  eye  was  fixed  on  his  noble  presence  and 
commanding  form,  and  the  court,  bar,  and  spectators 
gave  him  the  most  earnest  and  respectful  attention. 

He  began  his  argument  with  apparent  diffidence,  and 
proceeded  cautiously,  slowly,  but  with  great  method 
and  exactness,  in  stating  his  case.  He  evidently  did  not 
intend  to  exhaust  his  strength  before  reaching  the  rough 
points  of  the  trial.  So  have  I  seen  a  noble  and  stately 
ocean  steamship  move  with  almost  painstaking  care  and 
solicitude  at  the  beginning  of  her  voyage,  seeming  to 
have  scarcely  motive  power  enough  to  force  her  huge 
bulk  across  the  smooth  waters  of  the  harbor — a  mimic 
sea,  with  its  bright  waves  and  sparkling  surface.  But 
as  the  swell  of  old  ocean  besjan  to  be  felt  around  her, 

O 

and  the  great  Avaves  came  rushing  at  her  head,  how 
grandly  and  powerfully  did  she  rise  to  meet  them ! 
Then  how  the  strength  and  the  power  came  as  they 


23G  REMINISCENCES    FEOM   PAPERS. 

were  needed ;  and  with  what  majestic  dignity  and 
grandeur  would  she  overcome  all  opposition,  meeting 
and  defying  the  mightiest  waves,  and  dashing  before  and 
behind  her  with  invincible  power  all  opposing  obstacles  ! 

As  Mr.  Ewing  warmed  with  his  subject,  he  seemed  to 
carry  conviction  to  all  his  hearers,  and  poured  forth, 
without  apparent  effort,  his  wonderful  knowledge  of  law, 
science,  literature,  philosophy,  and  art — everything  that 
could  illustrate,  support,  or  strengthen  his  case  in  the 
realms  of  learning  or  logic  was  ready  to  his  hand ;  and  to 
me,  the  boy  of  nineteen,  he  seemed  a  prodigy  of  learning 
and  the  greatest  man  I  had  ever  known. 

Mr.  Ewinc;  was  a  member  of  Congress,  a  Senator  of 

o  <_?  ' 

the  United  States,  a  Cabinet  minister,  and,  for  nearly 
half  a  century,  was  in  active  public  life.  But  office 
could  add  nothing  to  the  dignity  of  Thomas  Ewing,  or 
advance  him  in  any  manner  in  the  respect  or  good-will 
of  the  people  of  Ohio. 

His  high  character,  great  talents,  prodigious  and 
varied  learning,  and  commanding  abilities,  were  every 
where  acknowledged,  and  he  will  long  be  known  and 
remembered  as  one  of  the  foremost  of  American  scholars, 
lawyers,  and  statesmen. 

To  the  mass  of  mankind,  who  held  no  personal  rela 
tions  of  intimacy  with  Mr.  Ewing,  he  always  appeared 
cold,  austere.  But  I  am  told  by  those  who  knew  him 
best,  and  who  shared  his  confidence  and  reorard,  that  this 

/  O  / 

was  wholly  a  false  estimate  of  the  man. 

An  old  friend  of  his  once  told  me  that  when  at  home, 


EEMINISCEXCES    FEOM    PAPERS.  237 

surrounded  by  his  family  and  grandchildren,  it  was 
delightful  to  watch  this  great  man,  as,  with  the  most 
affectionate  solicitude  and  unselfish,  childlike  devotion, 
he  gave  himself  up  to  entertain,  amuse,  instruct,  and 
gratify  them.  Here  he  was  surrounded  by  those  who 
knew  and  loved  him,  and  here,  like  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
he  was  cheerful,  light-hearted,  vivacious,  and,  with  his 
younger  grandchildren,  frolicsome  and  jocose. 

His  father  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and,  becoming 
greatly  reduced  in  circumstances,  in  1792  settled  upon 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Athens,  Ohio.  Thomas,  a 
huge,  bulky,  vigorous  boy,  was  taught  to  read  by  an 
older  pister.  His  love  of  knowledge  was  intense  and 

O 

untiring.     While  working  upon  his  father's  farm,  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  learned  that    twenty  miles   away 
there  was  a  copy  of  Virgil ;  and  he  rode  on  horseback 
through  the  woods,  with  only  a  blanket  for  a  saddle,  to 
borrow   or   to    buy   it.     He    succeeded  in   getting   the 
precious  volume,  and  absolutely  mastered  its  contents  by 
studying  during  the  daytime  every  leisure  moment,  and 
at   night  pursuing   his   labor  of  love   by  the   light    of 
a    burning   pine   torch.       At    the    age    of    twenty,    he 
worked    as   a  laborer   in   the    salt-works    at   Kanawha, 
and    here   he   was  able  to  obtain   for   himself   a    little 
money  to  pay  his  expenses  at  college.    In  1815,  he  gradu 
ated  at  the  University  of  Athens,  and  received  the  first 
degree  ever  conferred  by  an  Ohio  College.    He  was  ad 
mitted  to  practise  law  in  the  year  after,  and  rose,  as  1 
have  said,  to  the  highest  place  in  the  profession. 


238  BEMIKISCENCES    FKOM    PAPERS. 

At  the  time  of  his  death,  lie  probably  Lad   as   pro 
found  a  knowledge  of  law,  the  classics,  history,  sacred 

O  v    ' 

and.  profane,  poetry,  the  arts  and  sciences,  architecture, 
and  belles-lettres  as  any  man  living;  and  all  these  vast 
stores  of  learning  were  classified  and  arranged  with  such 

O  O 

consummate  order  and  exactness  in  liis  brain,  that  to 
each,  special  professor  of  some  branch  of  learning,  when 
called  upon  to  discuss  that  particular  subject,  he  ap 
peared  as  though  he  must  have  devoted  the  larger  por 
tion  of  his  life  to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  upon  that 
particular  subject  only.  He  was  a  poet  of  mo're  than 
ordinary  excellence,  and  could,  if  occasion  offered,  recite 
for  hours  almost  a  volume  of  poems,  which  he  had 
written  and  committed  to  memory  in  his  earlier  days. 

Mr.  Ewing  lived  during  a  most  remarkable  period  of 
the  world's  history,  and  but  little  of  what  was  passing 
escaped  his  scrutiny.  His  earliest  home  was  the  wild 
frontier;  and  he  heard  in  childhood  the  wild  howl  of 
the  wolf  and  the  still  wilder  whoop  of  the  savage,  and 
saw  the  primeval  forests  fall  under  the  axe  of  the  hardy 
pioneer.  Schools,  neighborhoods,  churches,  colleges,  and 
the  advantages,  and  wavs,  and  means  of  civilized  life,  were 

o        /  »/      / 

in  his  early  days  almost  unknown  to  him;  and, the  log- 
cabin,  with  its  rude  surroundings,  were  the  architectural 
structures  to  widch  his  eyes  were  accustomed.  He  was 

•/ 

four  years  old  when  Louis  XVI.  and  his  beautiful  wife, 
Marie  Antoinette,  were  beheaded  by  the  French  people. 
He  read  by  torchlight  the  stirring  and  brilliant  speeches 
of  the  younger  Pitt,  who  died  when  young  Ewing  was 


PvEMINISCEXCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

seventeen  years  old.     "With  all  the  details  of  the  history 
of  Georo-e  III.,  who  died  as  late  as  1820,  and  his  still 

O  /  ' 

more  profligate  son,  George  IV.,  who  died  ten  years 
later,  he  was  as  familiar  as  with  his  own  history.  He 
welcomed  Lafayette  on  his  visit  to  this  country,  and 
passed  a  high  enlogium  upon  his  character  at  his  death 
in  1834.  He  read  with  glistening  eyes  and  palpitating 
heart  the  speech  of  Robert  Emmet,  when  in  1803  ho 
was  so  illegally  and  unjustly  condemned  to  death.  In 
his  day  lived  Goethe  and  Schiller,  with  whose  wrorks  he 
was  perfectly  familiar.  He  watched  with  intense  solici 
tude  the  march  of  events  during  the  wonderful  career  of 
Napoleon  the  Great,  until  it  closed  in  a  lonely  death,  in 
1821,  at  St.  Helena.  He  survived  to  tell  his  grand 
children  the  story  of  the  second  French  Revolution ;  while 
in  his  old  age  he  sat  in  his  easy-chair  and  read  the  story 
of  Sedan  and  the  destruction  of  the  French  Empire.  In 
his  day,  Sir  Walter  Scott  wrote  his  first  and  last  volume 
of  the  "  Waverley  Novels,"  and  they  were  eagerly  read 
by  Mr.  Ewing  as  they  came,  one  by  one,  to  America. 
He  lived  almost  to  witness  the  invention  and  perfection 
of  the  steam-engine,  and  to  see  the  lightning,  originally 

O  '  O  *-^ l  ^~J  ** 

caught  by  Franklin,  "  harnessed  by  Professor  Morse." 

He  saw  Ohio  rise  from  a  barren  wilderness  to  an 
empire  of  two  and  one-half  million  souls.  He  saw 
slavery,  permitted  if  not  sanctioned  by  the  Constitu 
tion,  become  so  great  that  its  power  spread  all  over 
the  land,  and  dictated  to  Presidents,  Cabinets,  Courts, 
and  National  as  well  as  State  legislatures.  He  saw 


240  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS 

it  crusli  the  spirit  and  degrade  the  manhood  of  four 
million  of  our  people.  He  lived  to  the  close  of  the 
great  Civil  War,  and  saw  freedom  and  equal  rights 
guaranteed  by  the  Constitution  to  every  human  being 
in  our  Republic.  He  saw  the  nation,  in  his  day,  a 
small  and  scantily  settled  country  with  thirteen  States. 
At  the  time  he  died,  the  Union  consisted  of  thirty-six 
States  and  forty  millions  of  people.  Well  might  he 
exclaim,  "What  wonders  God  hath  wrought!" 

His  knowledge  of  the  public  men  of  America  was 
perhaps  more  extensive  than  that  of  any  man  who 
has  lived  in  our  country.  Living  under  every  admin 
istration  inaugurated  in  the  United  States,  and  with 
most  of  them  as  an  active  and  influential  friend  or 
opponent,  his  opportunities  for  personal  acquaintances 
with  men  Avere  wide  and  various  in  the  extreme.  He 
was  thirty-seven  years  old  when  Jefferson  died,  and 
knew  him,  Madison,  John  Jay,  John  Marshall,  Wil 
liam  Wirt,  Webster,  Clay,  Calhoun,  Pinckney,  Ilayne, 
the  Adamses,  Ben  ton,  together  with  nearly  all  the 
Presidents  who  for  fifty  successive  years  presided  over 
the  destinies  of  the  Republic. 

Perhaps  no  man  who  was  a  mere  spectator  took  a 
deeper  personal  interest,  or  felt  a  keener  solicitude,  in 
the  result  of  the  late  Civil  War  than  Mr.  Ewing. 
Every  step  taken  by  our  armies  was  watched  by  him, 
and  he  had  a  broad  and  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  plans  of  the  different  campaigns,  and  discussed 
them  with  the  most  intelligent,  and  sometimes  astound- 


REMINISCENCES    FROM   PAPERS.  241 

ing,  sagacity,  as  to  their  results.  When  General  Sher 
man  was  attacked  for  what  was  charged  upon  him  as 
a  military  blunder  during  the  war,  he  sprang  eagerly 
to  the  rescue,  and  with  a  bold  and  vigorous  pen,  and 
full  knowledge  of  his  subject,  defended  successfully 
General  Sherman  and  his  military  action,  with  the 
same  freedom  and  knowledge  as  though  the  science 
of  warfare  had  been  a  study  with  him  from  his 
youth. 

Mr.  Ewing  died  during  the  close  of  the  first  ad 
ministration  of  General  Grant,  and  went  to  his  grave 
laden  with  many  years,  surrounded  by  his  family  and 
friends,  and  taking  with  him  to  his  honored  rest  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  a  nation  which  he  had  served 
with  earnest  zeal,  and  the  profound  regard  and  friend 
ship  of  all  who  had  ever  come  within  the  scope  of 
his  influence. 


REMINISCENCES   OF   THOMAS   EWING— HIS 
EXCELLENCE    IN   ATHLETIC    SPORTS. 

A  correspondent  of  the   Olilo  State  Journal  writes: 
"I    was    born    in    the    old    village    of    Frankliuton, 

O 

which  was  the  seat  of  justice  for  Franklin  County 
until  1823  or  1826.  In  my  boyhood,  I  was  a  frequent 
attendant  in  the  old  Court-house  during  the  sessions 

O 

of  the  Court,  where  was  often  gathered  the  best  le^al 

'  O  O 

talent  of  the  State. 


242  11EMIN1SCENCES    FEOM    PAPERS. 

"  I  well  recollect  the  first  time  I  saw  Thomas  Ewing, 
then  a  young  lawyer,  not  yet  Laving  much  business 
or  making  much  of  a  mark.  I  was  struck  with  his 
large  head  and  generally  massive  and  muscular  but 
rather  awkward  build.  It  was  summer-time,  and  the 
Court  had  adjourned  early  in  the  afternoon.  Several 
of  the  lawyers  remained,  and  the  conversation  turned 
upon  athletic  exercises  and  feats  of  strength.  Among 
those  present  was  Joe  McDowell,  a  brother  of  Abram 
and  John.  He  declared  that  he  was  so  swift  of  foot 
that  he  had  never  been  beaten  in  a  race  of  one  hun 
dred  yards,  and  he  believed  he  could  not  be  beaten, 
and  offered  to  bet  ten  dollars  he  could  beat  any  one 
in  the  crowd.  Finally,  Orris  Parrish  took  him  up, 
and  they  went  out  on  the  green.  It  was  not  yet 
determined  who  was  to  be  McDowell's  competitor ;  but 
when  the  ground  was  measured  off,  Mr.  Ewing,  who 
had  taken  but  little  part  in  the  conversation,  and 
whose  demeanor  had  been  very  modest  and  retiring, 
offered  himself  to  run  the  race,  and  to  the  surprise  of 
all,  for  none  supposed  he  could  run.  Judges  and 
stakeholders  were  appointed,  and  I  will  never  forget 
the  gleam  of  E wing's  eye  or  his  air  of  resolution  as  lie 
stripped  off  coat,  vest,  and  shoe?,  and  took  his  place. 
The  word  £<K>'  was  efiven,  and  the  yo.uno;  athletes 

o  J  O 

sprang  off  Avitli  an  even  start ;  soon,  however,  Ewing 
began  to  gain,  and  came  to  the  winning-post  well 
ahead  of  McDowell,  who  was  so  chagrined  at  the 
result  that  he  began  to  find  excuse?,  and  said  he  had 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  243 

tripped  and  stumbled,  or  otherwise  he  would  have 
won.  Ewing  smiled  and  said:  'Well,  if  you  are  not 
satisfied,  let  us  try  again.'  They  did  run  again  and 
McDowell  was  beaten  worse  than  before.  Other  sports 
and  trials  were  made— standing-jumps,  running-jumps, 
shouldering  stones,  throwing  the  axe  and  the  maul — in 

O  '  O 

all  of  which  Mr.  Ewing  proved  his  superiority ;  and 
finally  the  high  jump  over  a  stretched  string  was  tried. 
Mr.  Ewing  made  no  attempt  at  •  this,  until  Mr.  Mc 
Dowell,  who  proved  the  best,  challenged  him  to 
'beat  that.'  Ewiug  replied:  'Well,  let  us  see  your 
best';  and  when  McDowell  was  done,  Ewing  put  the 
string  four  inches  higher,  and  stepping  back  a  few 
feet,  came  at  it  with  a  curious  sidelong  swing  and 
motion,  and  over  he  went  amid  the  cheers  of  the 
crowd. 

"  Some  twenty  years  ago,  when  serving  on  the  city 
School  Board  with  William  Long,  we  we're  one  eve 
ning  waiting  for  a  quorum,  when  our  conversation 
ranged  over  some  of  the  men  and  incidents  of  our 

o 

early  settlement.  Said  Mr.  Long :  '  It  was,  I  think, 
somewhere  about  181-4,  when  I  was  a  chunk  of  a  boy, 
that  my  father  sent  me  in  search  of  some  horses  that 
had  strayed  away.  We  were  then  living  in  Ross 
County,  and  I  had  gone  up  into  the  eastern  edge  of 
Pickaway,  looking  in  the  rich  range  of  that  region  for 
the  missing  horses,  when,  crossing  one  of  the  natural 

O  '  O 

grassy  prairies,  and  listening  for  the  sound  of  the  horses' 
bell,  which  was  familiar  to  me,  1  found  a  cow-bell  in  my 


244  EEMLNISCENCES  FKOM  PAPERS. 

path,  which  I  fastened  to  my  body,  and  amused  my 
self  with  its  clatter  as  I  walked  alon^.  At  some  dis- 

O 

tance,  I  perceived  a  man  coming  in  a  direction  that 
would  soon  intercept  my  path.  As  we  approached,  I 
noticed  he  was  dressed  in  a  hunting-shirt  and  buckskin 
breeches,  and  intently  reading  a  book.  As  we  met,  lie 
stopped  suddenly,  and  thrusting  the  book  into  the 
bosom  of  his  shirt,  he  said  abruptly,  'Where  did  you 
get  that  bell  ?'  '  I  found  it  back  here,'  I  replied. 
'Well,'  said  he,  'it  is  my  bell,  and  I  mean  to  have 
it.'  I  replied,  '  If  you  are  stronger  than  I  am,  you  can 
get  it.'  He  immediately  seized  me  with  a  hug  like  a 
bear,  and  attempted  to  crush  me  down.  I  was  strong, 
active,  and  wiry  far  beyond  my  looks,  and,  after  a 
severe  tussle,  he  suddenly  .  let  me  go,  and,  breaking 
into  a  hearty  laugh,  said :  '  You  are  a  better  man 
than  I  took  you  for ;  what  is  your  name  ? '  I  replied, 
'My  name  is  William  Long;  what  is  your  name?' 
'Tom  Ewing  is  my  name,'  was  the  reply. 

"  He  enquired  the  way  to  the  Scioto  salt- works, 
and,  after  a  few  minutes'  conversation,  wre  parted,  he 
pulling  out  his  book  and  reading,  and  I  rejoicing  in 
the  clatter  of  my  coAV-bell.  Our  next  meeting  was 
in  the  Court-house  in  Franklinton,  years  afterward, 
where  I  had  been  summoned  as  a  juror. 

"  I  mention  these  incidents  now,  I  trust,  without 
impropriety;  for  I  believe  it  was  the  early  physical 
training  which  Mr.  Ewing  received  that  enabled  him 
not  only  to  compete  successfully  in  all  athletic  sports, 


REMINISCENCES   FROM    PAPERS.  245 

Lut  gave  him  also  that  capacity  of  endurance  that  Lis 
great  brain-power  required.  We  all  know  what  an 
intellectual  giant  he  became,  and  that  in  his  death 
Ohio  has  lost  her  foremost  man,  one  whose  memory 
she  will  cherish  and  delight  to  honor  hereafter,  when 
the  mists  and  prejudices  of  parties  and  of  politics  shall 
have  cleared  away." 

11ECOLLECTIONS   OF  THOMAS  EWING. 

After  an  active  campaign  of  the  summer  of  1859, 
having  distributed  over  three  hundred  copies  of  my 
bust  of  Governor  Chase  to  his  friends  and  admirers,  I 
returned  to  Columbus  to  euorao'e  in  other  commissions. 

O     O 

Meeting  Governor  Chase  one  day,  he  said  :  "  Whom  do 
you  propose  to  model  next?"  I  replied:  "A  bust  of 
the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing."  The  Governor  very  kindly 
remarked :  "  I  am  happy  to  hear  it,  and  wish  you  a 
decided  success ;  for  Mr.  Ewiug  has  by  far  the  grandest 
head  in  Ohio." 

While  proceeding  to  Lancaster,  just  twelve  years  ago 
this  month  (October),  over  the  old  stage  route,  up  hill 
and  down  dale,  it  is  needless  to  say  that  I  approached  my 
prospective  subject  with  more  than  ordinary  diffidence ; 
for  it  was  there  I  was  to  meet  a  ripe  scholar,  a  gentle 
man  and  statesman — a  man  that  was  revered  by  the 
public,  and  almost  "  time-hallowed  "  with  age. 

The  weather  was  delightful,  and  the  pleasure  of  our 
journey  was  much  enhanced  by  the  dreamlike  and 

31 


24G  REMINISCENCES    FROM   PAPERS. 

golden  haze  of  the  atmosphere  of  an  October  afternoon, 
and  the  infinite  variety  of  tints  and  colors  of  the 
autumnal  leaves,  forcibly  reminding  me  of  Fosdick's 
beautiful  poem  commencing, 

"  When  Indian  summer,  like  an  Indian  queen,"  etc., 

which  has  not  its  peer  in  our  language. 

Descending  into  the  Hock-Hocking  Valley,  it  Avas  not 
lon^  before  we  could  see  in  the  distance  the  dim  outlines 

o 

of  the  city  of  Lancaster,  and,  to  the  left  of  us,  the  ever- 
welcome  sight  to  every  returning  wanderer  from  a 
foreign  land — the  bald  and  rock-ribbed  front  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  crowned  with  its  dwarfed  and  yellow  pines 
and  mountain  laurels. 

Arriving  in  Lancaster  in  the  evening,  I  presented 
myself  at  the  old  family  mansion  of  Mr.  Evving,  where 
I  was  courteously  received,  and  their  generous  hospi 
tality  tendered  me  during  my  sojourn  in  their  beautiful 
city.  I  most  gratefully  thanked  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Ewiug 
for  her  proffered  generosity,  at  the  same  time  informing 
her  that  I  wras  an  old  bachelor  of  incorrigible  habits, 

O  / 

but,  with  her  consent,  I  would  remain  at  the  Talmadge 
House. 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Ewing,  in  a  playful  manner,  "  I 
presume  we  will  have  to  let  the  old  bachelor  .have  his 
own  way,"  at  the  same  time  modestly  informing  me  that 
she  had  ordered  apartments  prepared  for  me  previous  to 
rny  arrival.  I  could  only  thank  her  again,  and  bless  my 
stars  for  having  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  lady, 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  247 

as  I  subsequently  learned,  of  innumerable  Christian 
graces. 

Mrs.   Ewino:  was   a   remarkable  woman,  and  in  the 

O  ' 

heyday  of  youth  she  must  have  been  very  handsome ; 
and,  even  when  I  saw  her,  there  was  a  charming  grace 
about  her  "  beyond  the  reach  of  art."  She  was  truly  a 
worthy  companion  of  so  noble  a  husband,  beloved  by 
her  neighbors,  and  adored  by  her  family  and  friends. 

The  old  family  mansion  was,  and  is  yet,  a  two-story 
brick  house,  built  on  a  hill.  It  had  a  broad  hall  in  the 
centre,  with  sitting-rooms  and  parlors  on  either  side. 
There  was  very  little  about  the  exterior  of  the  antiquated 
residence  to  command  admiration ;  but  it  was  plain,  and, 
like  its  possessor,  very  substantially  built,  and  that  which 
pleased  me  most  was  the  quaint  finish  of  the  interior. 

Not  tar  from  Mr.  Ewing's  family  residence  wras  a  little 
brick  office  or  study.  It  was  there  he  mastered  the 
Spanish  language  in  a  marvellously  short  space  of  time. 
He  had  a  real  estate  case  in  St.  Louis  that  involved 
several  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Nearly  if  not  all  of 
the  old  original  records  or  title-deeds  were  written  in 
the  Spanish  language. 

He  at  once  saw  the  great  importance  of  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  language  as  well  as  facts.  He  shut  him 
self  up  for  six  weeks  in  his  little  brick  study,  as  he  him 
self  told  me,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  was  able  to 
go  into  court  and  translate  those  Spanish  documents  or 
records  with  the  best  of  them,  and  sained  his  case. 

/  O 

I   secured    agreeable    apartments    at    the    Talmadge 


248  REMINISCENCES  FROM  PAPERS. 

House,  where  I  was  to  receive  sittings  from  Mr. 

'  o 

whenever  it  suited  his  convenience,  and  those   sittings 

'  O 

were  numerous  and  very  far  between,  which  gave  me 
ample  time  for  study  and,  much  reading  of  rare  books 
furnished  me  by  Mr.  Ewing  and  his  kind  friends. 

After  several  interviews,  I  found  Mr.  Ewing  all  that 
he  had  been  represented,  and  more  too ;  and  saw  before 
me  a  man  of  majestic  form  and  of  giant  mind,  whose 
rays  of  thought,  like  the  summer's  sun,  were  created,  as 
it  were,  to  enlighten  and  bless  mankind. 

Mr.  Ewing  reminded  me  more  of  Daniel  Webster  than 
any  man  I  had  ever  met.  Neither  of  them  had  any  of 
that  chit-chat  about  them  peculiar  to  General  Taylor,  but 
much  of  the  facetiousness  of  Corwin  and  the  animated 
conversation  of  Henry  Clay.  Both  Webster  and  Ewing 
were  great  thinkers,  Miltonic  in  their  thoughts,  with  all 
of  the  profundity  of  a  Bacon. 

Mr.  Ewing  always  spoke  of  Henry  Clay  with  enthu 
siasm,  of  Daniel  Webster  with  a  depth  of  emotional 
feeling.  His  anecdotes  of  Mr.  Webster,  and  poetical 
([notations  included,  would  fill  a  large  volume;  and  yet 
there  was  not  the  least  ostentation  in  his  allusion  to 
great  men  or  the  classics,  for  both  had  been  his  most  in 
timate  companions  for  years. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  at  Lancaster,  I  had  my  model 
ling-stand  and  clay  set  up  for  active  labor.  To  make 
assurance  doubly  sure  in  so  important  a  work,  I  first 
made  a  preparatory  study  of  a  cabinet  size  to  ensure  the 
proper  pose  for  the  finished  model. 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  240 

Durino;  Mr.  Ewinafs  first  sittings  for  his  bust,  his  con- 

O  O  CJ 

versation  very  naturally  turned  upon  events  of  his  own, 
and  the  early  history  of  Ohio,  that  were  so  graphically 
portrayed  by  an  old  friend  of  his  in  the  Daily  Commercial 
of  the  27th  ultimo. 

Now,  like  old  Prospero,  with  the  magic  wand  of  mem 
ory,  I  am.  compelled  to  conjure  up  other  scenes  and  inci 
dents  that  have  not  already  appeared  in  print,  at  the 
same  time,  I  hope,  to  the  entertainment  of  your  nume 
rous  readers. 

About  this  time.  Mr.  Exvius;  left  for  Washington  for  a 

'  O  O 

few  weeks,  and  I  was  left  at  liberty  to  amuse  myself  as 
best  I  could. 

On  the  return  of    Mr.  Evvins;  from  Washington,  the 

O  O  / 

social  relations  were  again  complete ;  for  without  his  pre 
sence  in  Lancaster,  there  was  a  void — something  was 
wanting — like  a  grand  historical  statue  that  had  long 
been  the  pride,  emulation,  and  inspiration  of  the  resi 
dents  of  their  beautiful  city. 

He  was  in  the  humor  again,  at  our  first  meeting,  to 
entertain  me  with  anecdote  and  story,  and  events  of  his 
early  experiences  in  the  primeval  forests.  The  naivete  of 
manner  in  which  he  told  them  was  always  delightful  and 
instructive.  Nothing  seemed  to  have  escaped  his  won 
derful  memory  of  persons  and  things,  and  his  accumu 
lated  thoughts  and  suo-o-estious  were  a  world  of  his  own. 

O 

He  never  despised  the  day  of  small  things,  for  these 
were  the  nucleus,  or  nebula,  upon  which  he  built  greater 
and  grander  structures.  He  had  a  mind  to  comprehend 


250  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

at  once  tlie  beginning  and  the  end.  Like  all  great  men, 
if  ever  deceived  at  all,  it  was  by  himself  and  not  by 
others ;  for  the  impetuosity  of  genius  knows  no  bounds, 
and  they  alone  are  responsible  for  the  result. 
1  I  cannot  avoid  relating  one  of  the  many  incidents  of 
his  early  experience,  as  told  by  himself:  "  While  a  party 
of  young  people  were  out  horseback-riding  one  Sunday, 
and  passing  through  a  heavy-timbered  forest  and  dense 
underbrush,  they  heard  a  sudden  shriek  of  pain  and 
alarm. 

"The  company  halted,  and  soon  learned  that  one  of 
three  boys  had  been  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake,  and  the 
other  two    were   carrying   him  home  with  all  possible 
speed. 

"  My  young  lady  friend  very  modestly  removed  one  of 
her  garters,  with  which  wTe  bound  up  the  wounded  boy's 
leg,  to  prevent  too  rapid  a  circulation  or  progress  of  the 
poison.  We  gave  all  necessary  directions  in  such  cases — 
gunpowder-tea,  etc. — and  proceeded  on  our  journey,  and 
subsequently  learned  that  our  patient  was  happily  pre 
served. 

"  About  forty  years  after  that  event,  as  I  was  return 
ing  in  a  carriage  from  Columbus  to  Lancaster,  the  wea 
ther  being  very  warm,  I  stopped  at  a  farmhouse 'by  the 
roadside  to  give  my  horses  some  water.  The  farmer's 
wife,  for  such  she  proved  to  be,  very  kindly  handed  me 
a  water-bucket,  with  winch  to  help  myself  at  the  well. 

"  While  watering  my  horses,  I  noticed  that  she  scruti 
nized  my  face  rather  closely  for  a  stranger,  and  when  I 


KEMINISCEXCES  PROM  PAPERS.  251 

returned  the  water-bucket  with  thanks,  she  enquired, 
'  Are  you  not  Mr.  Ewing  \ '  I  answered  in  the  affirmative. 
She  was  silent.  '  But  why  did  you  ask  ? '  '  Well,  I  see 
you  have  forgotten  me.'  *  Indeed  ! '  '  Yes  ;  but  you 
cannot  have  forgotten  the  young  woman  that  gave  you 
the  garter  to  tie  up  the  rattlesnake-bitten  boy's  leg.' 
•  I  do  remember  that  incident  very  well.  But  is  it  pos 
sible  that  you  are  that  woman  ? '  '  Yes,'  she  replied,  '  and 
I  have  lived  on  this  farm  almost  ever  since.' " 

It  was  very  natural  for  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Ewing  to 
indulge  in  the  classics  of  his  youth,  and  he  not  unfre- 
quently  alluded  to  Homer,  Hesiod,  Virgil,  and  Horace. 
Horace  was  one  of  his  great  favorites,  for  he  told  me  he 
generally  read  him  through  in  the  original  once  a 
year. 

Not  beino;  familiar  with  the  originals  above  named, 

O  O 

Mr.  Ewing  would  very  kindly  give  me  a  few  free  trans 
lations,  and  did  it  apparently  with  all  the  pleasure  and 
enthusiasm  of  a  youth. 

With  all  of  his  love  and  enthusiasm  of  the  Latin 
poets,  he  did  not  overlook  the  English  classics,  from 
old  Chaucer  down  to  Byron.  The  poetry  of  Milton 
and  Dryden  were  especial  favorites  of  his.  With  the 
sentiments  .of  either  he  crave  little  heed,  for  he  was 

o 

too  mucli  of  a  well-bred  gentleman  for  that.  It  was 
the  art,  the  music,  and  the  soul  of  the  better  man 
that  received  his  approbation. 

Milton's  «L' Allegro,"  "II  Penseroso,"  and  "  Mask  of 
Comus"  were  great  favorites  of  his,  and,  for  the  music 


252  REjnmscENCES  FROM  PAPERS. 

and   harmony   of  our   language,    lie   recited   a   passage 
from  Byron's  "  Parisina "  as  a  fine  example : 

"It  is  the  hour  when  from  the  boughs 

The  nightiogale's  high  note  is  heard ; 
It  is  the  hour  when  lovers'  vows 

Seem  sweet  in  every  whispered  word ; 
And  gentle  winds  and  waters  near 
Make  music  to  the  lonely  ear. 
Each  flower  the  dews  have  lightly  wet, 
And  in  the  skies  the  stars  are  met, 
And  on  the  wave  is  deeper  blue, 
And  on  the  leaf  a  browner  hue, 
And  in  the  heaven  that  clear  obscure, 
So  softly  dark,  and  darkly  pure, 
Which  follows  the  decline  of  day, 
As  twilight  melts  beneath  the  moon  away." 

Nothing  could  exceed  liis  recitation  of  such  beauti 
ful  gems,  so  full  of  pathos  and  feeling ;  and  to  me  it 
was  a  double  pleasure,  the  grand  subject  before  me, 
in  full  play  of  thought  and  sentiment,  without  the 
least  restraint  or  exaggeration. 

oo 

When  in  the  humor,  Athena3us,  Plutarch,  Montaigne, 
and  Cervantes  came  in  for  a  full  share  of  his  admira 
tion.  One  tiling  I  liked  about  Mr.  Ewing — he  never 

O  O 

professed  to  have  any  knowledge  of  authors  and  books 
that  he  had  never  read,  and  well  digested,  too. 

No  branch  of  science  or  art  seemed  to  have  escaped 
his  attention.  One  day  he  would  indulge  in  all  the. 
various  theories  and  mysteries  of  geology.  The  next 
day,  perhaps,  he  would  ascend  from  earth  to  heaven, 
and  give  a  brief  but  beautiful  history  of  astronomy. 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  253 

At  another  sitting,  perchance,  be  would  take  up  the 
subject  of  mechanics,  and  seemed  to  dwell  with  all 
the  pleasures  of  an  enthusiast  on  the  intricacies  and 
construction  of  all  manner  of  steam-engines  and  manu 
factures  of  every  description. 

Like  a  well-bred  gentleman  as  he  was,  he  very 
rarely  alluded  to  religion,  politics,  or  private  affairs. 
He  was  always  ready  to  entertain,  instruct,  or  to  amuse, 
but  never  indulged  in  saying  anything  in  the  social 
circle  that  might  give  offence,  and  that  which  would 
be  proper  and  much  better  expressed  elsewhere. 

I  never  made  an  allusion  to  poetry,  or  attempted  a 
quotation,  but  Mr.  Ewing  would  recite  the  whole  pas 
sage,  if  necessary.  His  familiarity  with  most  of  our 

O      '  v  •/ 

modern  poets  was  extraordinary. 

One  morning,  I  remarked  that  I  thought  Byron  had 
written  some  of  the  most  beautiful,  as  well  as  delicate, 
diades  of  human  expression  of  all  our  poets. 

Said  he :  "Let  me  hear  them." 

u  He  who  hath  bent  him  o'er  the  dead 
Ere  the  first  day  of  death  is  fled — 
The  first  dark  day  of  nothingness, 
The  last  of  danger  and  distress 
(Before  decay's  effacing  fingers 
Have  swept  the  lines  where  beauty  lingers), 
And  marked  the  mild,  angelic  air, 
The  rapture  of  repose  that's  there  " — 

"  A  very  nice  discrimination,"  said  Mr.  Ewing,  and 
recited  the  balance  of  the  paragraph,  some  twenty-nine 
lines,  in  his  happiest  manner. 


254  REMINISCENCES  FROM  PAPERS. 

Another  point  be  Lad  not  overlooked.  That  was 
that  Byron  Lad  written  the  most  beautiful  description 
of  antique  and  modern  sculpture  of  any  on  the  subject, 
in  ancient  or  modern  times.  It  is  true  that  old  Homer, 
of  "  Scio's  rocky  isle,'?  had  set  the  example  in  Lis 
description  of  Achilles1  shield,  proving  conclusively 
that  the  art  of  sculpture  was  in  a  high  state  of  culti 
vation  before  Homer  or  the  Iliad. 

The  British  drama  had  many  charms  for  him,  par- 
t  i  c  ularl  y  Gay  '  s  Begga  i  •'*  ( 


"  IIow  hajtpy  could  I  bo  with  either, 
Were  t'other  dear  charmer  away  ! 
Eat  while  ye  thus  tease  me  together, 
To  neither  a  word  will  I  say; 
But  tol  do  rol,"  etc. 

At  times,  at  a  single  sitting  of  a  morning,  he  would 
o-ive  me  a  free  translation  of  one  of  Moliere's  plays. 
Moliere  was  an  especial  favorite  of  his.  Mr.  Ewing 
was  very  rarely  surprised  by  being  asked  a  question 
on  any  given  subject.  One  morning,  I  ventured  to 
ask  him  whether  he  was  acquainted  or  familiar  with 
an  Irish  character  in  Shakespeare  ?  He  very  promptly 
said,  "  There  is  no  such  character  in  Shakespeare/' 
"  Pardon  me,  Mr.  Ewing,  with  all  clue  deference  to 
your  literary  lore,  you  will  find  an  Irish  character 
in  Kincj  Henry  the  -Fifth.'1''  "  Let  me  see  it,  sir." 
Taking  up  a  volume  of  Shakespeare,  and  turning  to 
Third  Act,  Scene  Second,  at  the  same  time  handing 
him  the  book,  he  read  the  whole  of  the  scene  between 


TCEMIXISCEXCES    FIIOM    PAPERS. 

"  McMorris"  the  Irishman,  "  Jamy"  the  Scotchman,  and 
"Fluellen  M  the  Welshman. 

On  reaching  my  studio  one  morning,  while  the  streets 
were  laid  with,  ice  and  slightly  concealed  with  snow, 
I  said,  "  Mr.  Ewing,  you  had  a  fall  on  your  way," 
seeing  that  the  snow  still  adhered  to  his  overcoat,  from 
his  shoulder  to  his  feet. 

'•  Yes,1'  he  replied,  "  but  no  harm  done,  I  hope." 
Sure  enough,  and  fortunately,  too,  no  harm  had  be 
fallen  him,  a  man  of  almost  gigantic  proportions,  for 
he  was  .over  six  feet  in  height  without  his  boots, 
weighed  two  hundred  and  sixty-four  pounds,  and  was 
seventy  years  of  age.  Physically  and  mentally,  for 
his  years,  he  had  not  his  peer  in  Ohio  at  that  time. 
He  was  as  straight  as  an  arrow,  and  walked  with  a 

o  ' 

firm  and  decided  step  in  coming  to  my  room  or  while 
returning;  to  his  own  residence. 

O 

While  in  Lancaster,  many  anecdotes  were  related  to 
me  of  his  physical  prowess  in  his  younger  days. 

The  high  leap  was  one  of  his  best  efforts  in  that  line. 
Take  two  men,  full  six  feet  in  height,  and  let  them 
elevate  a  tape-line  to  the  extreme  height  of  their  hands, 
and  Mr.  Ewins;  would  clear  it  at  a  single  bound. 

O  O 

I  very  rarely  essayed  to  indulge  in  any  freedom  or 
passing  compliment  to  Mr.  E\ving.  One  day,  however, 
I  asked  him  his  ethnological  descent.  He  replied :  "  I 
believe  I  am  of  Norman-English  origin."  "I  doubt  it, 

O  O 

Mr.  Ewing."      "How  so?"  he  enquired.     "I  believe  you 
are   of    Etruscan    descent.     You   doubtless    remember, 


256  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPEES. 

Mr.  Ewing,  that  tlie  Etruscans  were  the  first  inventors 
of  the  dome;  and  as  you  have  the  finest  dome  I  have 
ever  modelled,  you  will,  I  hope,  permit  me  to  give  you  a 
place  among  the  Etruscans." 

There  was  one  thing  I  loved  about  Mr.  Ewiug  above 
all  others:  there  seemed  to  be  no  malice  or  envy  in  his 
composition.  He  never  expressed  anything  but  appre 
ciative  kindness  of  all  his  professional  brethren,  East, 
West,  North,  or  South.  It  is  only  your  little  minds  that 
imagine  the  great  are  envious,  and  they  are  always  look 
ing  out  for  the  lion  in  the  crate. 

o  CD 

The  society  of  Lancaster  was  very  superior.  There 
were  no  cliques  or  clans  to  disturb  the  harmony  of  the 
social  circle.  As  there  were  no  concert-halls  or  theatres 
at  that  time,  except  those  in  progress  of  erection,  the 
citizens  generally  depended  entirely  upon  their  own 
accomplishments  for  their  amusements. 

When  holidays  came  about,  then  each  one  vied  with 
his  or  her  neighbor  in  contributing  to  the  entertainment 
and  pleasure  of  all.  Private  theatricals,  tableaux -vivant, 
music  and  dancing,  the  elephant  and  the  dwarf  orator, 
were  sources  at  times  of  wild  delight  to  the  youn^ 

O  «/  O 

masters  and  misses  of  the  occasion. 

In  all  of  those  innocent  amusements  no  one  partici 
pated  more  readily,  with  his  presence  and  approbation, 
than  Mr.  Ewing.  There  are  many  of  his  accomplished 
friends  and  neighbors  I  would  like  to  name  in  commem 
orating  those  happy  socials. 

Mr.  Ewing  himself  was  not  thoroughly  comprehended 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  257 

or  understood  by  the  public.  Like  his  own  grand  and 
lofty  Mount  Pleasant,  with  its  bold  and  rugged  front, 
which  is  inaccessible,  with  its  wealth  of  sunshine  and 
shadows;  and  yet  there  was,  like  that  same  beautiful 
mountain,  an  approachable  side  of  his  generous  and 
noble  nature  that  could  be  reached  by  the  lowliest  and 
humblest,  the  infant  child,  the  loving  maiden,  and  ster 
ling  manhood. 

That  the  great  State  of  Ohio  is  most  fully  represented 
on  the  "  roll  of  honor  "  no  one  will  dispute  ;  and  among 
those  honored  names,  there  is  no  one  that  stands  out  in 
bolder  relief,  in  private  and  public  estimation,  for  his 
many  transcendent  virtues,  than  the  late  Thomas  Ewing. 

T.  D.  J. 


[Citizen  and  Gazette.] 

SCHOOL-BOY    DAYS    OF    THOMAS    EWING. 

BY    ED.    L.    MORGAN. 

The  events  of  yesterday  are  not  so  fresh  or  legibly 
stamped  upon  my  memory  as  the  recollection  of  my 
first  day  at  school ;  and  I  presume  it  was  the  first 
day  for  Tom  Ewing  and  my  elder  brother,  but  Thomas 
had  been  previously  taught  to  read  in  Dilworth's 
Spelling-book,  his  oldest  sister  being  his  instructor. 
It  was  a  beautiful  morning  in  the  spring,  I  believe  of 
1799,  my  father  as  guide,  in  company  with  his  charge, 
Thomas  Ewiug,  my  brother,  John  M.  Morgan,  and 


25 S  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

myself,  aged  between  five  and  six  years,  set  out 
for  the  new  school-house  which  I  have  just  de 
scribed.  The  distance  from  home  was  about  two 
miles.  Our  path,  for  the  most  part,  lay  through 
a  thick  wood,  and  we  had  to  cross  one  fork  of  Short 
Creek  at  about  half-way.  When  we  reached  the  creek, 
my  father  took  a  great  deal  of  pains  to  show  and  in 
struct  us  how  and  where  to  hide  from  the  Indians, 
if  we  should  happen  to  see  or  hear  them  when  on 
our  way  to  or  from  school. 

On  arriving  at  the  school-house,  we  were  duly  in 
troduced  to  the  "master,"  whose  name  was  John 
Chambers,  a  Scotch  Presbyterian,  an  eld  bachelor, 
and  a  strict  disciplinarian,  both,  in  school  and  in 
church.  Soon  after  our  arrival,  the  master  called 
"  books "  with  a  loud,  shrill  voice,  and  the  scholars, 
who  were  mostly  out  at  play,  came  pitching  in,  bare 
foot  and  bare-head,  seated  themselves  on  the  roucrli 

'  O 

benches,  and  began  reading  in  a  loud  voice ;  for  that 
was  the  fashion  then,  and  he  who  could  make  the  loud 
est  noise,  either  in  reading  or  spelling,  was  considered 
the  best  fellow.  Our  school-book  was  Dilworth's 
Spelling-book,  and  we  all  could  read  some  in  that 
book,  Thomas  having  been  taught  by  his  sister, '  and 
my  brother  and  I  by  our  mother.  At  noon  the 
master  read  to  us  the  rules  of  the  school,  and  in- 
.  formed  us  of  the  different  kinds  and  amount  of  pun 
ishment  that  would  surely  folloAv  a  wilful  breach  of 
these  rules.  lie  also  exhibited  his  instruments  of  tor- 


REMINISCENCES  FROM  PAPERS.  259 

tare,  which  consisted  of  a  number  of  common  whips, 
of  different  sizes,  which  had  been  cut  from  the  branches 
of  trees  and  thoroughly  roasted  in  the  hot  ashes  to 
make  them  tough.  In  one  corner  was  the  "  dunce 
block,"  and  over  it,  against  the  wall,  huno*  the  "dunce- 

/        O  '  O 

cap "  and  the  leather  spectacles.  A  seat  upon  that 
block,  with  cap  on  head  and  spectacles  on  nose,  was 
punishment  for  the  lazy,  inattentive  sluggard  who  came 
late  to  school,  and  had  no  energy  to  learn  when  he 
got  there.  To  one  of  the  joists,  immediately  over  the 
centre  of  the  floor,  was  fastened  a  strong  cord.  This 
was  used  only  in  extreme  cases. 

Those  who  have  used  Dilworth's  Spelling-book  will 
remember  that  it  contains  many  short  quotations  from 
Scripture.  The  following  is  one  of  them :  "  The  wicked 
flee  when  no  man  pursueth,  but  the  righteous  are  as 
bold  as  a  lion."  One  evening,  on  our  return  from 
school,  when  we  had  <*ot  in  si^ht  of  home,  Thomas 

o  O  ' 

ran  forward  and  called  out,  "  Uncle !  Uncle !  I  have 
turned  over  a  new  leaf."  "  Have  you  2"  said  my  father. 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  I  have  turned  over  a  leaf,  and  have 
imt  to  the  wicked  flea"  And  he  strutted  round  as 

•/ 

proud  as  a  peacock.  It  was  one  of  the  happiest  days 
of  his  life,  as  I  have  heard  him  say  forty  years  after. 

One  night  that  summer,  there  fell  a  heavy  rain,  and 
the  next  morning,  my  father,  knowing  the  creek  would 
be  so  high  we  could  not  cross  it,  directed  us  to  ride 
an  old  gray  horse  which  he  had.  and  keep  him  at  the 
school-house  until  evening,  when  we  could  ride  home. 


200  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

My  brother,  who  was  supposed  to  be  the  best  rider 
took  his  position  before;  I,  being  the  youngest,  was 
placed  in  the  middle,  and  Thomas  behind,  to  hold  me 
on.  Thomas  took  the  dinner-basket  on  his  arm,  and 
we  started  on  our  journey  to  school.  (If  I  had  a  cor 
rect  photograph  of  the  old  gray  horse  and  his  riders, 
it  would  cost  something  to  buy  it.)  We  had  got 
across  the  creek,  which  Avas  belly  deep  to  the  horse, 
when  we  discovered,  as  we  supposed,  that  we  had  for 
gotten  our  dinner.  We  wheeled  to  the  right-about, 

O  O 

crossed  the  creek  a  second  time,  rode  up  to  the  door, 
called  to  mother,  and  told  her  we  had  forgotten  our 

7  O 

dinner;  when,  on  coming  out,  she  saw  the  basket  of 
dinner  hanging  on  Thomas's  arm. 

O        O 

My  father's  library  at  this  time  consisted  of  but 
few  books.  The  most  prominent  among  them  were 
the  Bible  and  Testament,  the  History  of  Greece,  Ho 
mers  Iliad,  Sandford  and  Merton,  History  of  England, 
^Jsop's  Fables,  etc. 

By  the  time  the  next  winter  had  come,  we  had  all 
made  considerable  progress  in  learning.  Thomas  and 
my  brother  had  both  got  to  be  good  readers,  and  one 
or  the  other  always  stood  at  the  head  of  the  "  spelling 
class."  They  spent  much  less  time  at  play  than  is 
common  with  boys,  and  were  almost  constantly  en 
gaged  in  reading  or  studying  their  lessons.  When 
the  long  nights  of  winter  came  on,  it  was  necessary  to 
have  artificial  light,  in  order  to  continue  our  studies 
of  evenings.  For  this  purpose,  on  our  return  from 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS.  -Gl 

school  ill  the  evening,  we  would  each  collect  by  the 
way  and  carry  home  an  armful  of  bark,  taken  from 
the  "  shell-bark  hickory,"  which,  being  put  into  the 
log  fire  of  the  cabin  in  small  quantities,  made  an  ex 
cellent  light,  by  which  all  in  the  house  could  see, 
whether  they  were  employed  in  reading,  writing, 
spinning,  or  picking  cotton.  My  two  schoolmates 
always  spent  the  Sabbath  in  reading  the  Scriptures; 
for  my  parents  were  very  strict  about  the  observance 
of  that  day,  and  would  not  allow  us  to  read  any 
other  book  on  Sunday.  On  a  certain  Sabbath,  Thomas 
and  my  brother,  not  wanting  to  be  disturbed  or  in 
terrupted  by  me  while  reading  their  Sunday  lessons, 
enticed  me  to  go  out  into  a  lot  where  stood  the  corn- 
crib,  and,  after  opening  the  door,  they  showed  me  a 
large  ear  of  red  corn,  and  urged  me  to  go  in  and 
bring  it  to  them.  As  SDOII  as  I  got  fairly  into  the 
crib,  they  closed  the  door,  and  locked  me  in.  I  re 
mained  in  prison  for  some  time,  and,  after  several  fruit 
less  attempts  to  make  my  escape,  I  called  several 
times  to  my  father  before  he  heard ;  and  when  he  came 
to  my  relief  and  heard  my  story,  he  got  a  good  whip, 
and  hurried  to  the  house,  determined  to  give  the  of 
fending  boys  a  flogging;  but  on  his  arrival,  he  found 
them  reading,  in  a  solemn  manner,  verse  about  in  the 
Old  Testament.  This  appeased  his  wrath  in  some 
measure,  and  they  got  off  without  bodily  punish 
ment. 

About  the  year  1802  (I  am  not  certain  as  to  the  pre- 


262  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

else  time),  Thomas  Ewing  went  to  live  with  his  father's 
family  on  Federal  Greet,  Athens  County,  Ohio,  and 
worked  upon  the  farm  for  some  time.  He  afterwards 
went  to  work  at  the  Kanawha  salt-works.  There,  by 
the  light  of  the  furnace  fires  at  night,  he  pursued  his 
studies.  After  his  father's  farm  was  paid  for,  and  he 
had  laid  by  a  few  dollars,  he  entered  the  college  at 
Athens.  A  short  time  before  he  went  to  college,  he  paid 
a  visit  to  my  father's  family  on  the  Pan-Handle,  and  con 
sulted  his  uncle  and  aunt  about  the  propriety  of  going 
there.  They  advised  him  to  go  if  he  thought  he  could 
pay  his  wray  by  his  own  labor,  as  his  father,  now  in  his 
old  a«-e,  could  not  assist  him.  Pie  had  been  but  a  short 

O     ' 

time  at  Athens,  when  his  funds  gave  out,  and  he  again 
went  to  work  at  boiling  salt.  In  this  way  he  managed  to 
get  through  college,  and  was,  I  believe,  the  first  graduate 
of  that  institution.  Shortly  after  he  finished  his  studies 
at  college,  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  with  Phile 
mon  Beecher,  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  and  that  place  was  his 
home  ever  after,  until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  October. 
1871. 

Soon  after  he  had  finished  the  study  of  law  (which  I 
think  was  in  1816),  he  made  a  visit  to  my  father's  fam 
ily,  who  then  lived  on  King's  Creek,  a  few  miles  north 
east  of  Urbana.  He  was  in  search  of  a  place  to  com- 
n;ence  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  had  a  consulta 
tion  with  my  father  about  the  propriety  of  locating  in 
Urbana ;  but,  as  we  had  lived  but  two  years  in  the 
vicinity  of  that  place,  my  father  was  not  sufficiently 


REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPE11S.  2G3 

acquainted  with  tlie  country  nor  with,  its  inhabitants  to 
give  a  satisfactory  opinion.  My  father  being  unwell,  I 
accompanied  Mr.  Ewing  to  Urbana.  I  had  but  few  ac 
quaintances  there  at  that  time.  We  "put  up"  at  the 
tavern  of  James  Robison,  stayed  there  and  about  town  all 
day,  and  went  home  in  the  evening.  The  next  day,  Mr. 
Ewino1  concluded  to  20  back  to  Lancaster,  as  he  got  no 

O  o  i  <r> 

encouragement  to  locate  at  Urbana.    When  he  set  out  on 

O 

his  return,!  accompanied  him  to  Urbana, and  he  stayed  a 
couple  of  hours  at  the  tavern,  when  he  set  out  on  his 
journey  home.  There  were  a  goodly  number  of  the  citi 
zens  assembled  at  the  tavern  on  the  last  day  that  he  was 
there.  Among  the  rest,  I  remember  two  who  were  prac 
tising  lawyers  and  one  law  student.  William  Bridge, 
well  known  to  all  old  settlers,  was  also  present.  After 
Tom  had  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  off,  the  wise  men  of 
the  company  present  began  to  criticise  his  character  and 
appearance.  Many  were  the  sarcastic  remarks  about  his 
personal  appearance  and  his  coarse,  home-made  apparel. 
It  was  agreed  by  nearly  all  present  that  he  would  never 
have  talent  enough  to  earn  his  living  by  the  practice  of 
the  law,  and  that  he  would  do  better  to  return  to  the 
salt-works.  The  law  student,  who  of  course  considered 
himself  the  wisest  man  in  the  company,  said  that  any 
person  of  common  sense  could  tell  by  the  appearance  of 
his  head  that  he  was,  and  always  would  be,  nothing  but 
a  conceited  "booby."  At  the  close  of  the  conversation, 
William  Bridge,  who  had  thus  far  been  silent,  made  the 
following  quotation  from  Burns : 


264  REMINISCENCES  FROM  PAPER?. 

"  There's  many  a  ragged  colt  been  known 

To  make  a  noble  aiver; 
So  he  may  some  day  fill  a  throne, 
For  all  your  clish  ma  claver." 

It  is  true  he  never  tilled  a  throne,  but  he  occupied 
stations  of  far  more  importance  to  the  American 
people.  From  this  time  forward  his  history  is  well 
known. 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  number  of  letters  written 
by  Mr.  Ewing,  some  to  my  father,  and  others  to  me. 
I  have  now  before  me  one  directed  to  my  father,  and 
dated  Lancaster,  August  4,  1818,  from  which  I  make 
the  following  extract : 

"  I  am  still  pleading  law  in  Lancaster,  and  find  it  a 
tolerably  good  business.  My  tutor,  General  Beechar, 
who  is  our  present  member  of  Congress,  is  a  candi 
date  again  at  the  ensuing  election.  Should  he  suc 
ceed,  he  will  throw  all  his  business  into  my  hand;', 
which  will  establish  me  in  a  A~ery  lucrative  practice. 
You  may  conclude,  therefore,  that  I  am  somewhat 
anxious  for  his  success.  But  aside  from  this,  he  is  a 
man  of  great  talents  and  unimpeachable  integrity,  and 
of  political  principles  which  you  would  not  disapprove. 
I  hope  you  will  give  him  your  support.  My  love  to 
aunt,  sister,  and  cousins;  and  believe  me,  with  respect, 
your  nephew,  T.  EWING." 

It  would  be  hard  to  make  many  of  the  citizens 
of  this  county  believe  that  at  that  time  the  counties 


REMINISCENCES  "FROM    PAPERS.  20.) 

of  Fail-field  and  Champaign,  the  towns,  now  cities,  of 
Lancaster  and  Urban  a,  were  then  included  in  the  same 
Congressional  district;  yet  such  is  the  truth.  I  will 
now  give  a  copy  of  another  letter,  dated  thirty-eight 
years  later,  and  after  he  had  retired  from  the  arena 
of  politics : 

"LANCASTER,  Oct.  24,  1850. 

"My  DEAR  SIR:  I  have  yours  of  the  20th,  and, 
like  you,  I  am  slow  to  learn  the  tricks  of  our  new 
political  parties.  I  cannot  vote  for  Buchanan  nor 
Fremont,  for  reasons  which  you  will  readily  appreciate  ; 
nor  can  I  vote  for  Fillmore.  for,  although  once  a  Whiar, 

77  O  v^ 

he  has  abandoned  the  Whig  party,  and  become  a 
Know-Nothing,  of  which  I  k'now  nothing  that  is  good, 
and  much  that  is  evil.  I  will  therefore  give  no  vote 
nt  the  coming  election. 

d? 

"  I  am   very  truly  yours, 

"T.  EWIXG." 

The  last  time  I  met  Mr.  Ewing  was  on  the  cars 
at  Urbana.  He  was  on  his  way  home  from  Indian 
apolis,  and  it  so  happened  that  we  both  entered  the 
same  car  at  the  same  time,  but  at  different  doors- 
one  at  each  end — and  we  eyed  each  other  pretty 
closely,  each  being  doubtful  of  the  identity  of  the 
other.  When  we  met  near  the  middle  of  the  car,  I 
ventured  to  hold  out  my  hand,  and  say,  "Tom  Ewing, 
I  believe."  He  replied,  "It  is;  and  I  believe  this  is 
Ed.  L.  Morgan."  He  said  our  meeting  reminded  him 


206  REMINISCENCES    FROM    PAPERS. 

of  a  couple  of  Irishmen,  who,  soon  after  their  arrival 
in  America,  happened  to  meet  one  day,  and  each  sup 
posed  he  knew  the  other;  but  they  soon  found  they 
were  mistaken,  and  had  never  seen  each  other  before, 
when  one  of  them  said,  "I  thought  it  was  you,  and 
you  thought  it  was  me;  but,  by  jaber?,  it  is  neither 
of  us." 

SALEM,  November  20,  1871. 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


THE  following,  from  a  Washington  correspondent,  is 
the  only  printed  notice  I  have  retained  of  the  draping 
of  the  public  buildings: 

"TiiE  LATE  ILm  THOMAS  SWING. — As  a  mark  of 
respect  to  the  memory  of  this  distinguished  statesman, 
who  died  at  his  residence  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  on  Thurs 
day  afternoon  last,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his  age,  the 
executive  departments  of  the  Government  in  this  city 
were  yesterday  closed  and  appropriately  draped  in 


The  extract  below,  from  the  Cincinnati  Commercial, 
I  preserve,  as  it  gives  evidence  that,  in  conformity  with 
the  Scriptural  admonition,  he  avoided  both  poverty  and 
riches;  and,  although  commanding  the  means  of  wealth, 
he  yet  occupied  his  heart  in  the  pursuit  of  higher  aims 
and  pleasures : 

"The  estate  of  the  late  Thomas  E\ving  amounts  to 
about  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  A  few  years  before 
his  death,  he  distributed  liberally  among  his  children,  the 
homestead  falling  to  the  share  of  his  son,  Thomas  Ewing, 
Jr.,  who  has  since  greatly  improved  it  by  remodelling  the 
dwelling  and  beautifying  the  grounds.  About  one-half 


268  MISCELLANEOUS. 

of  the  estate  was  invested  in  stocks  and  bonds,  and  the 
residue  in  real  estate,  chiefly  in  the  coal  and  salt  regions 
of  the  Hocking  Valley." 


As  a  matter  most  interesting  to  us,  their  children, 
and  to  our  children  and  our  children's  children,  I  here 
with  give  copies  of  the  marriage  record  of  father  and 
mother : 

[Copy.] 

Ewing  I  do  hereby  certify  that,  on  the  7th  Jan'y, 

to          1820,  I  solemnized   the   marriage   of  Thomas 
Boyle'        Ewing  and  Maria  W.  Boyle. 

EDWAKD  FENWICK,  P.  G. 

—Record  of  Marriages,  Fair  field  County,  01  do,  No.  1, 
p.  179. 

[Copy.] 

"  Thomas  Ewing  and  Maria  Boyle  were  married  on 
the  7th  day  of  January,  A.D.  1820." 

The  above  is  from  the  family  Bible,  in  father's  own 
handwriting. — E.  E.  S. 


The  articles  given  below,  from  the  Catholic  Telegraph, 
need  no  introduction  from  me  : 

DEATH  OF  THE  HON.  THOMAS  EWING. — We  learn  with 
heartfelt  satisfaction  from  the  ne\vspapers,  East  and 
West,  the  exalted  esteem  in  which  the  life,  virtues,  and 


MISCELLANEOUS.  2  GO 

services  of  the  late  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  of  Lancaster, 
were  everywhere  held,  and  the  splendid  tributes  ren 
dered  to  his  memory  by  the  most  distinguished  men  and 
bodies  of  men  in  the  nation.  Equal  in  ability  to  his 
compeers  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  it  is  no 
disparagement  to  them  if  we  avow  the  truth  of  his 
having  surpassed  them  in  personal  merit.  Not  one  of 
them  has  left  such  an  example  to  be  admired  and 
imitated  by  young  men  and  old,  by  the  private  citizen 
and  the  public  functionary ;  no  one  whose  record  is,  in 
every  respect,  so  bright. 

Mi%.  Ewing,  as  his  letters  in  our  possession  prove, 
always  declared  his  conviction  of  the  claims  of  the 
Catholic  Church  to  be  the  one  only  true  Church  of 
Christ.  In  her  communion,  he  beheld  all  the  means 
of  salvation  instituted  by  the  Saviour.  To  her  he  ac 
knowledged  our  indebtedness  for  the  only  true  civiliza 
tion.  In  his  admirable  wife,  he  had  daily  before  his  eyes 
for  forty-five  years  the  type  of  every  womanly  Christian 
grace  and  excellence ;  and  to  her,  unnamed  in  his  eulogy, 
we  believe  he  was  greatly  indebted  for  much  of  the  suc 
cess  he  achieved  in  his  glorious  career. 

O 

The  book  which  Mr.  Ewing  read  with  most  pleasure 
and  profit,  next  to  the  New  Testament,  was  the  Follow- 
infj  of  Christ,  by  Thomas  a  Kempis,  of  which  the  Arch 
bishop,  years  past,  presented  him  a  copy,  and  from  this 
pure  fountain  of  Catholic  devotion  he  derived  lessons  of 
heavenly  wisdom  nowhere  else  better  taught. 

In  his  funeral  oration,  the  Archbishop  expressed  the 

34 


270  MISCELLANEOUS. 

wish  that  every  young  man  would  read  and  ponder  on 
the  biography  of  Mr.  Ewing,  which,  he  said,  deserved  to 
be  written  in  letters  of  gold.  We  repeat  the  wish,  and 
recommend  the  obituary  contained  in  one  of  our  city 
papers,  the  day  after  his  demise,  to  be  inserted  in  our 
school-books  for  the  instruction  of  youth. 

Ho]sT.  THOMAS  EWIXG. — The  last  great  act  of  this  truly 
great  man  was  his  profession  of  the  Catholic  faith  and 
reception  of  the  Holy  Sacraments.  It  might  seem  to 
some  who  knew  him  not  as  his  children  and  his  intimate 
friends  knew  him,  that  this  step,  because  so  long  deferred, 
was  at  last  hastily  taken.  But  this  is  not  so.  It  was 
the  subject  of  serious  meditation,  especially  after  his 
marriage,  fifty  years  past,  with  his  late  admirable  Catho 
lic  wife.  During  that  long  interval,  he  frequently  de 
clared  his  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  Catholic 
religion.  And  yet,  from  an  exalted,  perhaps  we  may 
say  an  exaggerated,  sense  of  his  responsibility  to  God 
and  man  for  his  final  determination,  he  still  lingered  on 
toe  threshold  of  the  temple — still  anxiously  disciplined 
his  mind  and  feelings  before  his  solemn  approach  to  the 
altar.  Last  December,  when  Archbishop  Purcell  went 
to  Mount  Vernon,  Ohio,  for  the  marriage  of  his  son, 
General  Charles  Ewing,  to  an  elegant  and  accomplished 
young  lady  of  that  city,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Ewing,  urging  earnestly  and  respectfully  his  entrance 
into  the  one  fold  of  the  one  Heavenly  Shepherd.  To 
this  letter,  written  by  the  Archbishop,  as  he  stated  in  it, 


MISCELLANEOUS.  2  7  1 

after  Mass,  after  placing  his  forehead  ia  the  dust,  on  hio 
knees  on  the  vigil  of  the  festival  of  the  unbelieving  and 
believing  St.  Thomas,  Apostle,  he  received  the  following 
reply : 

11  MOUNT  YERXOX,  Dee.  20,  1870. 
"  MOST  REVEREND  AND  DEAR  FRIEND  : 

"  I  regret  that  I  cannot  accept  your  suggestions,  but  I 
have  difficulties  which  you,  educated  in  the  faith  from 
childhood,  can  hardly  appreciate. 

"I  am  satisfied  that  the  Christian  religion  is  the 
greatest  boon,  moral  and  social,  that  ever  heaven  be 
stowed  on  man.  This  is  to  me  the  highest  evidence  of 
its  truth,  which  would  be  lost  if  we  repudiate  the  Catho 
lic  Church,  by  which  it  was  originally  taught  and  has 
been  transmitted  through  ages. 

"  Its  doctrines  and  their  proofs  have  been  for  some 
years,  and  are  still,  my  study  ;  but  my  convictions  are  not 
as  unwavering  as  I  could  desire  them,  and  I  must  be  sin- 

O  ' 

cere  before  God  and  man  and  have  full  faith  before  I 
make  avowal. 

l'  With  sentiments  of  the  highest  respect  and  esteem, 
I  am, 

"Your  lifelong  friend, 

"T.  EWING. 
"  Most  Eev.  Archbishop  Purcell,  present" 

The  second  paragraph  of  this  beautiful  letter  covers 
the  entire  ground.  The  light  so  long  sought  and  so  fre- 


272  MISCELL  ANEOUS. 

quently  implored  was  granted  in  his  last  hours,  and  lie 
died  a  true  believer. 

COMMUNICATED. — "  WESTERN  CHRISTIAN  ADVOCATE  " 
or  15m  NOVEMBER. — THE  LATE  SENATOR  EWING.— 
The  editors  of  the  Catholic  Telegraph  charitably  ignore, 
as  a  general  thing,  the  scurrilities  of  the  Western  Chris 
tian  (Methodist)  Advocate.  Here  is  a  sample  of  one  of 
these  scurrilities  not  to  be  overlooked.  Alluding  to  the 
High  Mass  by  Rev.  Mr.  Young,  and  the  sermon  of  Arch 
bishop  Purcell,  at  Mr.  E wing's  funeral,  the  Advocate 
says : 

"  It  may  not  be  so  generally  known  that  the  occasion 
was  employed  to  eulogize  the  Romish  Church,  to  the 
shameful  neglect,  if  not  positive  insult,  of  the  memory 
of  the  distinguished  citizen,  over  whose  senseless  body 
mummeries  were  performed  and  statements  made  that  in 
any  rational  hour  of  his  former  life  he  would  have 
spurned  with  contempt." 

"Nema,"  whose  name  is  signed  to  the  foregoing,  forgets, 

/  o  O  O/  O 

if  he  ever  knew,  that  Mr.  Ewing,  seven  years  past,  "  in  a 
rational  hour  of  his  former  life,"  invited  Archbishop 
Purcell,  not  to  perform  what  the  Advocate  impiously 
calls  "  mummeries,"  but  to  offer  the  adorable  sacrifice  of 
the  New  Law  over  the  remains  of  his  saintly  wife,  and 
to  preach  her  funeral  sermon,  at  both  of  which  Mr. 
Ewing  reverently  assisted,  far  from  spurning  them  with 
contempt.  In  using  this  vile  language,  the  Advocate 


MISCELLANEOUS". 


insults  at  once  the  virtuous  living  and  the  honored  dead 

O 

of  Mr.  Ewing's  family.  Will  the  Advocate  atone  by 
publishing  Mr.  Ewing's  letter  of  the  20th  December, 
1870,  to  Archbishop  PurcelH 


lion.  Jolin  A.  Bingham,  of  Ohio,  has  been  kind 
enough  to  allow  me  to  copy  an  interesting  letter  which 
my  father  addressed  to  him  in  1870: 

WASHINGTON,  May  7,  1870. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

I  thank  you  for  the  book  you  were  kind  enough  to 
bring  me.  I  am  familiar  with  the  works  of  John  Stuart 
Mill,  and  think  him  one  of  our  most  profound  thinkers 
and  able  logicians.  In  this  Mr.  Buckle  has  done  him  no 
more  than  justice. 

The  passage  to  which  you  specially  called  my  attention 
— the  proof  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul  deduced  from 
our  love  of  family,  associates,  and  friends  while  they 
live,  and  remaining  after  their  death — has  always  had 
much  weight  with  me,  though  it  is  an  argument  resting 
on  feeling  rather  than  reason,  and  is  used  by  poets  much 
more  than  by  philosophers  and  theologians.  Cajnpbell 
embodies  it  in  these  brief  lines: 

"  If  faith  unite  the  faithful  but  to  part, 
Why  is  their  memory  sacred  to  the  heart  ?" 

Another  argument  deduced  from  our  common  nature, 


274  MISCELLANEOUS. 

and  wholly  independent  of  direct  revelation,  or  creed,  or 
forms  of  faith,  is  ,the  universal  feeling  of  immortality  in 
all  men,  wheresoever  found  and  in  whatever  age.  Peo 
ples  and  sects  differ  widely  as  to  the  state  of  the  soul  after 
death ;  but  all  agree  as  to  its  existence.  The  Buddhist 
and  the  Egyptian  priest  believed  in  its  transmigration  ; 
the  Gheber  in  its  absorption  into  the  divine  essence ;  and 
the  Arab,  as  represented  by  Job,  that  after  death  in  our 
flesh  we  shall  see  God.  But  forms  of'  belief  are  unim 
portant  to  the  argument ;  the  feeling  is  and  always  has 
been  universal,  whether  in  hope  or  fear,  and  is  wholly 
beyond  the  range  of  reason.  It  is  in  man  as  in  the  insect 
—a  blind,  unreasoning  impulse,  such  as  impels  the  worm 
to  w7rap  itself  in  its  cocoon  preparatory  to  its  resurrec 
tion  as  a  butterfly.  And  surely  in  all  that  concerns  us,  in 
VvThich  our  reason  cannot  guide  to  truth  or  lead  to  error ; 
in  all  things  which  reason  cannot  grasp,  we  are  in  the 
hands  of  God  as  fully  as  the  meanest  things  in  creation, 
and  are  as  sure  to  be  truly  informed  by  our  feelings  as 
they  by  their  instincts.  My  individual  feeling  on  that 
subject  is  too  strong  to  leave  a  doubt.  I  can  no  more 
conceive  a  possibility  of  my  future  than  of  my  present 
non-existence ;  and  I  do  not  fear  disappointment,  for  as 
to  the,  general  fact  of  a  future  state,  it  is  certain  I  can 
never  know  myself  to  have  been  mistaken. 

If  w^e  analyze  the  feelings  of  men  who  profess  to  be 
unbelievers,  we  will  find  in  their  unpremeditated  ex 
pressions  enough  to  prove  a  feeling  of  their  own  im 
mortality.  Byron,  suffering  under  his  own  wayward 


MISCELLANEOUS.  27") 

wildness,    and   "  the    stints   and    arrows   of    outrageous 

'  O  O 

fortune,"  says,  or   makes  his  Giaour  say  for  him, 

"  I  feel  a  wish  within  my  breast 
For  rest,  but  not  to  feel  'tis  rest." 

And  elsewhere,  in  speaking  of  death,  lie  calls  it 
"That  sleep  the  loveliest,  for  it  dreams  the  least," 

but  carrying  with  it  always  the  feeling  of  an  ever- 
existent  Ego,  to  enjoy  the  rest  and  sleep  the  sleep. 
So  the  sceptic  Mirabeau,  after  a  strong  and  impassioned 
life,  breathed  out  these  words,  the  last  that  .he  ut 
tered  : 

"  Now  I  sink  to  eternal  sleep." 

And  the  T,  the  self  of  which  this  eternal  sleep  is  pre 
dicated,  must  be  also  eternal,  or  the  expression  were 
a  paralogism,  of  which  this  master  of  language  and 
logic  was  never  guilty.  All  these  seem  to  me  to  in 
dicate,  not  an  opinion,  but  a  feeling  of  personal  im 
mortality. 

Horace,  one  of  the  wisest  and  most  genial  of  the 
Romans  of  the  Augustan  age — -a  gentleman  with  whom 
we  would  like  to  take  a  dinner  and  a  social  glass  of 
wine — claims  for  himself  immortality;  he  says: 

"Non  omnis  morior;  multa  pars  mei, 
Vitabit  libertinam." 

Though  lie  grounds  his  claim  to  immortality  on  thoughts 


276  MISCELLANEOUS. 

which  he  had  already  uttered,  it  is  he,  Horace,  that  is 
immortal. 

And  Mr.  Buckle  is  right  in  saying  that  the  burden 
of  proof  rests  on  those  who  deny  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  We  know  of  its  present  existence  by  more 
immediate  evidence  than  we  know  of  the  existence  of 
the  material  world.  We  have  our  knowledge  of  the 

O 

soul  from  self- consciousness,  and  of  the  material  world 
through  the  cognition  of  the  soul.  We  feel  and  know 

O  O 

that  the  soul  is  living,  and  no  man  ever  saw  or  knew  it 
to  die.  The  philosopher,  therefore,  who  affirms  must 
prove  it  to  be  mortal. 

I  sat  down  to  write  you  a  letter,  and  I  have  written 
almost  a  treatise.  I  send  the  book  to  the  Library, 
and  am, 

Very  truly  yours, 

[Signed]  T.    EWING. 

Hon.  JOHN   A.   BINGIIAM, 

House  of  Representatives. 


The  letter  which  follows  was  addressed  to  my  brother 
after  father  had  read,  at  his  request,  Mr.  J.  Huntington's 
admirable  book,  Growings  after  TrutJi : 

[Copy.] 

WASHINGTON,  May  3,  1870. 

DEAK  CHAELES  :  The  strongest  evidence  in  my  mind  of 
the  divine  origin  of  Christianity  is  its  effect  on  the  civil- 


MISCELLANEOUS.  277 

ization  of  the  countries  in  which  it  prevailed — its  full 
effect — the  institution  of  families  and  the  emancipation 
of  woman,  and  her  elevation  in  the  social  scale.  This 
distinguishes  Christian  civilization  from  that  of  all 

O 

other  peoples  and  religions,  and  it  evidently  had  its 
origin  in  the  doirmas  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the 

O  O  / 

Virgin  Mother,  and  the  Holy  Family.  These  pro 
duced  their  full  effect  within  the  first  fifteen  hundred 
years  of  our  era,  before  Luther,  or  Calvin,  or  Henry 
the  Eighth  lived,  and  was  too  well  established  for  the 

V_}  ' 

most  potent  of  them  to  reform  it.  And  this  was  not 
due  to  the  degree  of  civilization  but  to  the  institution 
of  Christianity.  At  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  the 
Mahometan  populations  of  Asia  were,  as  compared 
with  our  rude  ancestors,  in  a  high  state  of  civiliza 
tion,  and  women  were  toys  or  slaves,  and  denied  im 
mortal  souls.  Indeed,  under  all  other  systems,  the 
advance  of  civilization  failed  to  improve,  and  generally 
made  worse  their  condition.  In  the  ao;e  of  Homer, 

*•— 

they  were  more  elevated  and  honored  than  in  that  of 
Socrates  a.nd  Plato ;  but  from  the  earliest  ages  of  the 
Christian  church  down  to  the  time  of  the  Crusades, 
their  condition  was  elevated  and  honorable,  and 
during  the  ages  of  chivalry  they  were  objects  almost 
of  adoration. 

"  On  Heaven  and  on  your  Lady  call." 

But    the   sober    judgment   of    the   church   corrected 
excesses  and  still  held  the   family  tie   sacred   and    the 


278  MISCELLANEOUS. 

sex  in  due  honor.      We  owe,  therefore,  to  the  Catholic 
Church   the    institution   of    families   and   the   elevated 
social  condition  of  woman.      This  is  omitted  as  an  ar 
gument  in  the  little  book  you  brought  me. 
Your  loving  father, 

O  ' 

[Signed]  T.  EWING. 

Gen.   CHARLES  EWING. 


Among  the  early  missionary  priests  to  whom  my 
brother  makes  reference  in  the  correspondence  which 
follows,  I  well  remember  Fathers  Martin,  Miles,  and 
Allemany,  of  the  Dominican  Order,  the  second  of  whom 
died  Bishop  of  Nashville,  and  the  latter  is  now  Arch 
bishop  of  San  Francisco. 

Dr.  Munos,  a  Spanish  priest,  was  a  most  interesting 
and  learned  man,  whom  my  father  entertained  in  early 
days,  and  often  quoted  in  later  ones,  but  whom  I  do  not 
remember. 

The  memory  of  a  Rev.  Mr.  Hill  was  also  cherished  in 
the  family.  He  had  been  an  officer  in  the  British  army, 
and,  being  converted  to  the  faith,  he  abandoned  all,  and 
devoted  his  life  to  missionary  labors. 

In  later  years,  Rev.  Joshua  M.  Young,  a  native  of 
Maine  and  a  convert,  and  Rev.  H.  Lange  won  our  love 
and  reverence  as  devoted  pastors,  and  enjoyed  the  high 
esteem  and  most  affectionate  regards  of  my  father.  They, 
too,  have  gone  to  their  reward,  the  former  having  been 
appointed  to  the  see  of  Erie  some  years  before  his  death. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  270 

LANCASTER,  O.,  March  5,  1872. 
MOST  REV.  J.  B.  PURCELL,  Arclibishop  of  Cincinnati : 

MY  DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  already  told  you  that  only  a 
few  days  before  his  death,  my  honored  father  expressed 
to  me  his  earnest  desire  to  leave  some  token  of  his 
appreciation  of  the  services  of  the  early  priests  of  the 
diocese  of  Cincinnati  in  assisting,  by  instruction  and 
example,  in  forming  the  character  of  his  children,  and 
bringing  them  up  in  the  way  they  should  go. 

This  thought  was  much  in  his  mind,  and  very  often, 
in  the  last  few  years  of  his  life,  he  gave  expression  to  his 
sentiments  of  esteem  and  regard  for  this  pious,  self- 
sacrificing,  and  accomplished  body  of  priests,  with  whom 
lie  had  been  brought  in  contact,  and  many  of  whom  had 
often  been  his  guests,  and  were  endeared  to  him  by  the 
associations  of  the  most  intimate  social  intercourse. 

It  happened,  as  you  know,  in  the  good  providence  of 
Almighty  God,  that  Father  Dominic  Young,  almost  the 
very  last  survivor  (except  your  honored  self)  of  this 
estimable  band,  came  a  welcome  messenger  to  minister  to 

O 

him  in  what  alone   was  needed  to  add  to   his  lifelong 

o 

exemplification  of  all  the  natural  virtues,  and  prepare 
him  for  the  supernatural  life  that  was  opening -before 
him. 

He  expressed  some  embarrassment  in  designating  the 
specific  object  to  which  to  direct  the  donation  that  lie 
contemplated,  but  finally  directed  that  it  should  be 
placed  in  your  hands  and  left  to  your  discretion. 


280  MISCELLANEOUS. 

I  hope  you  will  not  deem  it  presumptuous  in  me  to 
suggest  that  I  think  I  but  anticipate  your  own  decision, 
and  feel  sure  you  will  respect  his  views  and  wishes,  if  it 
is  applied  to  the  use  of  the  Seminary  for  the  education 
of  priests  to  succeed  the  good  fathers  in  grateful  memory 
of  whom  it  is  bestowed. 

Enclosed  please  find  a  draft  for  one  thousand  dollars, 
being  the  amount  designated  by  my  father;  and  I  add  in 
the  name  of  the  family  a  draft  for  one  hundred  dollars 
to  cover  the  expenses  of  your  visits  to  Lancaster  on  the 
occasions  preceding  his  death,  and  for  the  funeral;  which 
kind  attentions  are,  I  assure  you,  remembered  with 
heartfelt  gratitude. 

With  most  affectionate  and  dutiful  regard  and  esteem, 

O 

I  am,  my  dear  Archbishop, 

Your  son, 
P.  B.  EWIXG. 

CINCINNATI,  Oino,  March  7,  IS1~2. 
HONORED  AND  DEAR  FRIEND  : 

Your  much-prized  letter,  with  its  valuable  contents, 
reached  me  on  the  5th  inst. 

I  have  handed  the  thousand-dollar  check  to  the  Presi 
dent  of  the  Seminary,  with  directions  to  have  a  solemn 
Mass  of  requiem  offered  at  the  Seminary  for  the 
repose  of  your  honored  father's  soul,  his  name  inscribed 
on  the  seminary  tablet  as  a  special  benefactor,  and  his 
descendants  gratefully  commemorated  in  the  holy  sac 
rifice. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  2ol 

The  one  hundred  dollars  so  generously  destined  for 
me,  with  your  permission,  I  shall  send  to  our  venerated 
friend,  Rev.  Mr.  Young,  who  was  the  happy  chosen 
instrument,  in  the  hand  of  God,  to  bring  your  lamented 
father  into  the  church,  on  whose  threshold  he  had  lin 
gered  so  long,  and  toward  whose  altar  he  had  so  long 
wistfully  looked.  This  disposition  of  the  one  hundred 
dollars,  I  think,  is  most  acceptable  to  your  dear  father 
and  to  all  the  family. 

Profound  respects  to  Mrs,  Ewing,  and  blessings  to  the 
children.  Kindest  regards  to  all. 

Yours,  sincerely, 

J.    B.    PURCELL, 

Archbishop  of  Cincinnati. 


The  letters  Driven  below  were  written  at  a  time  when 

O 

lather  was  stricken  suddenly  ill  in  the  Supreme  Court 
room  at  Washington,  and  thought  to  be  beyond  hope 
of  recovery.  As  the  perusal  of  them,  touched  his  tender 
heart,  and  warmed  it  toward  the  writers,  I  cannot  refrain 
from  giving  them  a  place  here  : 

LETTER   FROM   "OCCASIONAL," 

(The  following  letter  will  appear  in  tha  Philadelphia  Press  to-day.) 

N,  October  22,  18GO. 


Thomas  Ewing,  one  of  the  last  of  the  old-school  states 
men,  has  just  been  struck  down  in  the  Supreme  Court 


282  MISCELLANEOUS. 

of  the  United  States,  and  may  not  live  over  the  night. 
If  he  had  chosen  the  place  in  which  to  close  his  honored 
career,  and  the  manner  of  his  farewell,  he  would  proba 
bly  have  selected  the  scene  of  so  many  of  his  noblest 
triumphs.  He  wras  prostrated  in  the  midst  of  an  argu 
ment  on  an  important  land  question.  As  I  write,  he  lies 
in  one  of  the  rooms  adjoining  the  chamber  of  the  Court 
— that  chamber  to  which,  nearly  forty  years  ago,  he  was 
sent  as  a  United  States  Senator  by  the  Legislature  of 
Ohio,  and  in  which  for  seven  years  he  served  as  the 
contemporary  of  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun,  Silas  Wright, 
Thomas  H.  Benton,  W.  C.  Preston,  George  Poindexter, 
John  Forsyth,  Martin  Van  Buren,  James  Buchanan,  W. 
E.  King,  Richard  M.  Johnson,  James  L.  Southard,  and 
others,  all  of  whom  have  gone  before.  He  lived  to  a 
greater  age  than  any  of  these.  Born  on  the  28th  of 
December,  1789,  he  is  on  the  verge  of  eighty,  having 
lived  longer  than  Clay,  Webster,  Calhoun,  Wright,  Ben- 
ton,  or  Buchanan.  He  preserved  his  faculties  to  the  last, 
and  the  scene  in  the  Court  this  afternoon,  as  described 
by  one  of  his  eminent  associates  in  the  words  which  are 
subjoined,  must  have  been  extremely  impressive.  He 
has  fallen  literally  in  the  harness.  Time  has  dealt  won 
derfully  with  him.  Up  to  the  last,  he  took  a  deep 
interest  in  public  affairs.  The  extraordinary  vigor  of  his 
mind  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  was  contending  in  the 
most  trying  of  all  theatres,  with  the  ripest  minds  of  his 
profession.  Within  a  recent  period,  he  has  contributed 
to  the  newspapers  on  public  questions.  The  kindest  of 


MISCELLANEOUS.  283 

fathers,  lie  was  blessed  in  liis  children,  four  of  whom 
came  to  his  couch  when  he  was  carried  from  the  Court. 
Few  public  men  have  lived  so  useful  and  so  illustrious  a 
career.  He  escaped  the  usual  infirmities  of  old  age. 
Good  health,  undimmed  intellect,  and  a  keen  enjoyment 
of  his  great  profession,  he  may  be  classed  among  the  for 
tunate.  If  the  story  of  his  life  is  a  grand  lesson  to  his 
countrymen,  the  close  of  that  life  will  add  to  the  rever 
ence  with  which  his  memory  will  be  cherished. 

OCCASIONAL. 

Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  of  Ohio,  while  arguing  a  case 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  yesterday, 
fainted  from  nervous  exhaustion,  and,  though  partially 
recovering,  is  now  lying  in  a  dangerous  condition  at  the 
Capitol. 

Mr.  Ewing  was  addressing  the  Court  in  the  case  of 
Tyler  and  Maguire — a  writ  of  error  to  reverse  the  judg 
ment  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
which  came  on  by  special  assignment  to  be  heard  on  a 
motion  to  refuse  the  mandate;  Messrs.  Curtis  and  Phil 
lips  for  the  motion,  Messrs.  Ewing  and  Carlisle  contra. 
Mr.  Ewin<r  had  taken  part  in  the  argument  of  the  case 

O  -I-  O 

in  April  last,  which  resulted  in  a  judgment  establishing 
the  right  of  his  clients,  and  the  object  of  the  motion  was 
to  modify  that  judgment.  This  involved  a  review  of  the 
case,  in  which  Mr.  Ewing;  felt  creat  interest. 

O  O 

Yesterday,  Mr.  Phillips  opened  for  the  motion  at  1 1 
A.M.,  addressing  the  Court  until  1  p.:-:.,  being  followed  by 


284  MISCELLANEOUS. 

Mr.  Carlisle  in  opposition,  wlio  spoke  until  2  P.M.     Mr. 
Ewing  then  rose  and  spoke  about  fifteen  minutes  in  a 
very  clear  and  particularly  animated  manner.      At  the 
end  of  that  time,  he  remarked  to  the  Court  that  he  did 
not  feel  so  strong  as  he  thought  he  would  be  when  he 
commenced,  and  the  Chief-Justice  told  him  to  continue 
his  argument  sitting.     Mr.  Carlisle  placed  a  chair  for  him 
immediately  facing   the  Chief-Justice,  and    Mr.  Ewiug 
walked  around  the  counsel-table,  and  sat  down.     lie  had 
just  begun  to  read  from  his  brief,  when,  at  the  end  of  a 
sentence,  he  paused,  and  his  head  gently  fell  upon  his 
shoulder.     Mr.  Carlisle  at  once  saw^  that  he  had  fainted, 
and  rendered  assistance,  along  with  several  of  the  judges 
on  the  bench,  who  came  down  for  that  purpose.     Mr. 
Ewing  recovered  in  a  few  moments,  however,  and  told 
his  colleagues  to  continue  the  argument.     He  himself, 
however,  after  a  few  minutes,  rose  to  resume,  but  his  lips 
refused  utterance,  his  throat  gave  a  nervous  twitch,  and 
he  fell  over.     Medical  aid  was  at  once  summoned — the 
'Court  adjourning — and  Dr.  C.  M.  Ford  was  the  first  to 
respond,  Drs.  Dove,  Bliss,  and  Thomas  Miller  quickly 
following,  rendering  all  aid  in  their  power.     Mr.  Ewing's 
family  was  also  sent  for,  he  being  removed  in  the  mean 
time  from  the  court-room  to  the  private  room  of  the 
judges.      His  two  sons,    General   Thomas   and    Charles 
Ewiug;  his  daughters,  Mrs.  General  Sherman  and  Mrs. 
Steele ;    General  Sherman,  and  Mrs.  Admiral  Dahlgren, 
soon  arrived  at  the  Capitol,  and  assisted  as  far  as  possible 
in  alleviating  his  condition.    Toward  evening,  he  partially 


MISCELLANEOUS.  285' 

aroused  from  Lis  lethargic  state,  and  was  conscious  of 
the  presence  of  those  around  him.  It  was  deemed  too 
dangerous  by  the  physicians  to  remove  him,  and  he  re 
mained  at  the  Capitol  all  night.  At  12  o'clock  last 
night,  his  condition  was  much  improved,  and  he  had 
fallen  into  a  sound  sleep.  His  two  sons,  Thomas  and 
Charles,  Deputy  Marshal  of  the  Supreme  Court  Tisdale, 
and  Dr.  Miller  were  present  with  him.  General  Sher 
man  left  a  few  minutes  before  midnight.  His  friends 

O 

hope  he  will  be  sufficiently  recovered  to  permit  of  his 
removal  to  his  residence  this  morning. 


[Special  Correspondence  of  the  Cincinnati  Gazette.] 

HON.  THOMAS  EWING  BEFORE  THE  SUPREME 
COURT— HIS  SUDDEN  SICKNESS,  AND  THE 
SUBSEQUENT  SCENE. 

WASHINGTON,  October  23,  I860. 

The  scene  in  the  Supreme  Court-room  yesterday,  when 
Thomas  Ewing  lay  before  its  bar,  surrounded  by  the 
Court,  his  children,  and  many  of  his  legal  friends,  all  of 
whom  believed  him  dying,  was  most  solemn  and  impres 
sive.  It  seemed  as  if  the  curtain  which  hides  the  past 
had  been  lifted,  and  events  and  persons  long  passed  off 
the  sta2;e  had  returned.  And  when  the  first  shock  was 

O 

over,  there  came  to  all  who  watched  beside  the  uncon 
scious  old  man  thoughts  of  the  days  when,  in  the  room 
where  he  lay,  Webster,  Calhoun,Benton,  Clay,  Buchanan, 

30 


280  MISCELLANEOUS. 

Van  Buren,  Preston,  Silas  Wright,  and  King  sat  with 
him  as  senators  nearly  forty  years  ago.  With  power 
often,  with  brilliancy,  with  wit,  with  fluent  and  eloquent 
tongue,  for  many  years  he  had  played  no  common  part 
among  them ;  and  now,  on  the  veiy  scene  of  their  great 
-efforts  and  renown,  his  death  was  calling  back  their  times 
.as  no  event  has  done  since  the  war  dug  its  great  gulf 
between  those  days  and  these. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Chief-Justice  and  Justices 
Swayne  and  Miller,  the  Court,  either  in  years  or  belief, 
belongs  rather  to  the  old  times  than  the  present.  And 
Judge  Curtis,  who,  in  the  case  before  the  Court,  was 
opposed  to  Mr.  Ewing,  was  himself  on  that  bench  in  the 
days  of  the  Dred  Scott  decision.  Mr.  Ewing's  associate, 
Mr.  Carlisle,  as  Yergers  counsel,  is  pleading  before  the 
same  tribunal  for  aid  to  roll  back  the  new  tides  to  which 
the  wave  gave  motion.  In  the  main,  the  scene  was  one 
of  the  past  when  Mr.  Ewing  rose  to  speak ;  for  no  one 
sits  long  at  any  time  in  the  stillness  of  that  court-room 
without  having  visions  of  the  old  senators.  And  except 
two  or  three  lawyers  of  the  new  time,  those  around  Mr. 
Ewing  belonged  to  the  old,  and  in  their  presence  it  was 
easier  to  recall  those  former  days.  The  case  was  one 
which  interested  him  deeply.  He  was  acquainted  with 
every  element  of  it,  as  he  had  followed  it  as  principal 
counsel  for  twenty-five  years.  Those  who  preceded  him 
yesterday  had  occupied  much  time — much  more  than  he 
had  expected ;  and  the  old  man,  full  of  his  subject,  and 
hoping  to  end  his  case  successfully  after  a  quarter  of  a 


MISCELLANEOUS.  287 

century  of  effort,  rose  at  length,  and,  under  his  pent-up 
excitement,  went  on  with  a  force  and  brilliancy  that  had 
caused  those  in  attendance,  who  remembered  his  prime, 
to  remark  that  his  former  strength  in  argument  and  his 

o  o 

old  eloquence  had  returned.  The  strength  and  elasticity 
of  maturity  seemed  to  return,  and  he  held  his  command 
ing  figure  for  the  moment  as  if  in  the  enjoyment  of  full 
physical  strength  again.  Thus  he  continued  for  near  half 
an  hour.  It  was  while  all  eyes  were  on  him  that  he  sank 
exhausted.  Old  age  settled  over  him  again,  as  from  his 

O  O  7 

chair  he  continued  his  argument.  And  then  a  pause,  and 
old  age  seemed  to  have  yielded  to  death. 

Hastily  piling  cushions  in  the  area  before  the  bar,  they 
laid  him  down  upon  the  theatre  of  so  many  years  of 
labor.  The  Court  adjourned  and  gathered  around  him, 
and  for  a  time  it  was  supposed  that  he  was  dead;  and 
then  for  hours,  although  consciousness  had  returned,  there 

/  O 

seemed  no  hope  of  long  sustaining  life.  Within  an  hour, 
quite  an  extended  circle  of  family  friends  had  arrived,  to 
gether  with  well-known  surgeons  and  physicians  of  the 
District,  and,  with  some  of  the  most  prominent  members 
of  the  bar,  all  watched  for  several  hours  around  the  be.d. 
The  doors  were  closed,  the  room  lighted,  and  there  in  the 
old  Senate-chamber  tl;ey  waited  for  the  old  Senator  to 
die. 

Among  those  most  affected  was  Gen.  Sherman.     In  his 

~ 

person  the  present  had  its  representative  in  that  solemn 
scene :  and  while  the  past  was  for  the  hour  so  vividly 
recalled,  he  seemed  the  embodiment  of  that  great  army 


288  MISCELLANEOUS. 

which  had  driven  the  chariots  of  war  over  it,  and  whose 
shoutings  of  victory  had  celebrated  the  birth  of  the  new 
time. 

For  four  hours  there  was  no  perceptible  pulse-beat 
as  this  company  watched,  and  in  all  that  time  only  a 
few  irregular  fluttering^  of  the  heart,  though  conscious 
ness  came  at  times,  when  he  could  recognize  his  children 
and  his  associates. 

In  the  evening,  however,  the  rigorous  measures  used 

~/  /  o 

to  restore  brought  him  back  from  the  very  door  of 
death,  and  at  midnight  he  appeared  almost  out  of  danger 
again. 

At  midnight  he  was  sleeping  quietly,  and  most  of 
those  who  had  waited  till  they  could  feel  assured  that 
he  would  recover  from  the  attack  left  the  building. 
That  midnight  walk  is  one  to  be  remembered  by  all  who 
took  it.  The  long,  still  corridors  and  the  shadowy 
rooms  ever  brought  back  the  Senate  of  half  a  century 
ago ;  and  then  the  course  of  the  sleeper  as  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  as  organizer  of  the  Interior  Department 
and  its  first  Secretary,  and  then  the  long  war,  which 
settled  so  many  of  the  questions  which  agitated  the 
nation  when  the  men  of  those  days  were  in  their  prime, 
would  crowd  the  mind.  Coming  out  of  the  "building. 

O  o' 

the  long  lines  of  white  columns,  still  draped  in  mourning 
for  Kawlins  and  for  Pierce,  looking  still  blacker  in  the 
moonlight,  as  if  fresh  shadows  from  the  kingdom  of 
death  had  fallen  upon  the  drapery,  and  deepened  the 
eifect  of  the  whole.  Those  who  left  felt,  however  much 


MISCELLANEOUS.  289 

they  differed  from  him,  that,  if  he  were  to  die,  it  was 
fittino-  he  should  be  carried  from  the  old  Senate-chamber 

O 

to  his  tomb. 


[Washington  Correspondent.] 

The  many  thousands  of  persons  throughout  our  wide 
republic  who  were  grieved  a  few  months  ago  on  learning 
that  the  venerable  Mr.  Thomas  Ewing,  ex-Senator  and 
ex-Secretary,  had  been  suddenly  stricken  down  by  dis 
ease,  never,  as  it  was  feared,  to  rise  again,  will  be  grati 
fied  to  learn  that  his  stalwart  form  and  noble  and  be 
nignant  countenance  are  a^ain  familiar  auiono;  us,  and 

o  o  cj  ' 

that  his  clear  mind  and  vast  store  of  information  and 
gentle  amenities  are  still  the  charm  and  delight  of  his 
legions  of  friends. 

O  » 


Conclusion. 


DEAKEST  and  best,  tenderest  and  truest  of  earthly 
fathers!  thou  friend  of  my  mortal  life,  to  whom  my 
heart  ever  went  forth  in  unselfish,  absorbing  devotion ; 
whose  love  has  cheered  my  every  hour,  and  is  with  me 
still ;  smile  now  upon  my  accomplished  task  as  thou 
\vert  wont  to  smile  upon  me  here  !  No  word  or  act 
of  mine  was  ever  deemed  too  weak  for  the  kind,  approv 
ing  glance  of  thy  sweet  eye;  no  wilful,  wayward  ex 
pression  e'er  exhausted  the  fund  of  thy  patient,  loving 
forbearance.  Engrossed  by  childhood's  joys  or  pastimes, 
allured  by  youth's  delusive  pleasures,  or  weary  with  the 
cares  of  years,  a  child  of  thine  found  ever  sympathy  and 
comfort  on  thy  dear  bosom.  Thy  hand  rested  upon  my 
head  in  benediction,  or  was  held  forth  to  guide  and 
support. 

Thou  wilt  not  return  to  me,  but  I  shall  go  to  thee. 
Thy  love  greeted  the  dawn  of  my  existence,  and  my 
soul  will  meet  thee  as  it  goes  hence  to  its  Creator ; 
and  there,  in  the  day  of  resurrection,  I  shall  again  be 
hold  thy  face,  whose  glorified  beauty  cannot  express 
more  than  has  ever  been  for  thee  the  desire  of  the 
heart  of  thv  child. 


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